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After agreeing to raise his minimum wage to $ 15 by the hour, Amazon is facing new pressure from Congress members on work practices in companies (AP Photo / Richard Drew, File).
Meaning. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) And Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Ask Amazon to explain the reports of "potentially unlawful anti-union behavior," challenging the work practices of the USG giant. Soon after he agreed to raise his minimum wage.
Senators sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos about a video warning Amazon Whole Food Markets' leaders about the dangers of unionization, and asking him to respond to allegations recently made by that their concerns led to retaliation by the company's management.
This decision comes shortly after Amazon agreed to raise its minimum wage to $ 15 an hour earlier this month, following a campaign by Sanders and the organizers to shame the company over lows. wages.
"We are writing to alarm you with recent reports that your company has distributed to Whole Foods officials anti-union documents that would guide and encourage potentially illegal interference in the rights of thousands of workers," Sanders and Warren write. "It is important to recognize that workers' rights are not limited to the minimum wage. Increasing the compensation of your lowest paid employees, though importantly, does not give you permission to engage in potentially illegal anti-union behavior. "
[[[[Amazon raises minimum wage to $ 15 for all workers as a result of criticism
Amazon said in a statement that their existing work agreements were "the most effective way to understand and respond to the needs of our workforce."
In late September, the tech news site Gizmodo published an article detailing a video produced by Amazon and sent to officials of the Whole Foods Market grocery chain, acquired by Amazon on the Internet. last year. The video, which was also obtained by the Washington Post, lists the "warning signs" of unionization, such as the use of terms such as "living wage" and "shop steward", who distribute leaflets and wear union t-shirts.
"We do not think unions are best served by the interests of our customers, our shareholders or, more importantly, our associates," the video says. "When we lose sight of these critical areas, we compromise everyone's security: yours, mine, and associates. "
At another point, the video says, "At the end of the day, it's up to employees to decide if they want to participate" in a union.
Amazon Screengrab Trade Union Training Video
Legal experts said that it was not clear if the video constituted a violation of the law. Under federal labor law, management is allowed to predict what could happen if workers were unionized. Management is not allowed to threaten the consequences of this situation, said Benjamin Sachs, an expert in labor law at Harvard University.
"The law draws an ambiguous line between threats and predictions," said Sachs. "It seems to me that a reasonable employee might understand that" we endanger the safety of all jobs "as a threat."
In the letter, Sanders and Warren ask Bezos for a copy of the video and details of its distribution, as well as reports of retaliation against workers. Gizmodo too reported that an Amazon employee from the company's Floridian Fulfillment Center had lost his job because he had sent low-wage complaints to Bezos's courier account.
Amazon "respects the individual rights of employees and has an open door policy that encourages employees to share their comments, questions and concerns directly with their management team," said a spokesperson in a mail electronic. The company had previously referred to a "comprehensive set of benefits" for workers, including health care, vision care, dental care, and parental leave.
Amazon has been the subject of criticism from workers for the number of items that they have to sort and pack each day and to have found that it was sometimes difficult to find time to go to the bathroom or take a break.
[Bernie Sanders has a new plan to raise wages: Save the unions]
Salary increases announced earlier this month will affect 250,000 Amazon employees and 100,000 seasonal employees hired on Amazon sites during the holiday season. But without a union, Amazon could unilaterally cancel rising wages or neutralize it by leaving loopholes and reducing stock options and benefits, labor experts said.
"There is a very big difference between getting an increase and having a long-term voice in the business," said Kate Andrias, a professor of labor law at the University of Michigan. "The issue for workers here can be just as important."
Earlier this year, Sanders and representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Presented the "Stop BEZOS Act", which proposed to tax Amazon on the public benefits that its employees receive. Earlier this year, Sanders and Warren published a bill to strengthen workers' rights, protect people in the economy of the Great Hall, and facilitate the organization of the US economy.
"This is part of a broader effort to restore workers' rights," said Josh Miller-Lewis, spokesman for Sanders. "Amazon must not contribute to ongoing attacks on the trade union movement and the constitutional rights of workers to organize."
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