A campaign being waged by Amazon.com to prevent employees from organizing the company's first ever labor union drew a rebuke from former presidential candidate and current independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders.
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world with a personal worth of $184 billion, is supporting Amazon's push to prevent thousands of workers at the BHM1 warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama from unionizing.
Ballots on the unionization were sent out February 8 with the vote set for March 30. The Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union said over 2,000 workers at the warehouse signed union authorization cards ahead of the election.
Amazon opposes the union because it believes it doesn't represent "the majority of our employees' views." It's goading workers at Bessemer to vote against unionization, launching a campaign called "Do It Without Dues" to encourage workers to reject the union.
"When it comes to this union busting, it's severe. We've never seen anything like it on this level," said Joshua Brewer, an organizer for the union.
"This is something that has always been and will continue to always be the people of Bessemer, the workers at Amazon coming together. This was theirs and will always be theirs."
Sanders was upset by Bezos' refusal to testify Wednesday morning before the Senate Budget Committee, of which he's the Ranking Member.
"If he was with us this morning, I would ask him the following question ... Mr. Bezos, you are worth $182 billion, that's a B," said Sanders. "One hundred eighty-two billion dollars, you're the wealthiest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?"
Sanders then lashed out at other companies showing a similar anti-union bent.
"Amazon and Jeff Bezos are not alone," said Sanders, who also bemoaned the "corporate greed" that drives income inequality.
Sanders said Bezos' wealth soared during the pandemic, while workers struggled to support their families.
"Jeff Bezos has become $77 billion richer during this horrific pandemic, while denying hundreds of thousands of workers who work at Amazon paid sick leave," said Sanders.
