Bernie Sanders launches investigation into working situations at Amazon | Amazon

Bernie Sanders Amazon has launched an investigation that may give attention to working situations inside the net market’s warehouses, which can be the nation’s second-largest employer.

In a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jesse, an 81-year-old U.S. senator from Vermont and chair of the influential Senate Committee on Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions (AID), “systematically underreported” damage charges, commerce, productiveness targets, and requested for follow-up info. Federal and state security tips on e-commerce giants.

Sanders’ letter, As obtained by the Washington Post, It described situations at Amazon’s warehouses as “uniquely harmful” and pointed to a report that discovered the corporate’s critical damage charge in 2021 was double the warehouse business common in 2021.

“Amazon is without doubt one of the most precious corporations on the earth, price $1.3 billion, and its founder, Jeff Bezos, is without doubt one of the richest individuals on the earth, price $150 billion,” Sanders wrote within the letter. “Amazon ought to be one of many most secure locations to work in America, not probably the most harmful.”

Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly acknowledged that the corporate “acquired Chairman Sanders’ letter this night and is within the early phases of reviewing it,” including that the senator had an open invitation to go to one of many firm’s warehouses.

Sanders has beforehand paid for working situations and at Amazon. In 2018, the corporate stated it could improve its base hourly pay charge to $15, or almost twice the nationwide minimal wage. Then CEO Jeff Bezos stated the corporate “listened to our critics.”

The launch of the investigation into office well being and security practices at Amazon comes amid robust opposition to unionization efforts by the corporate’s staff and knowledge from the Occupational Security and Well being Administration that Amazon warehouse jobs value greater than these of competing corporations. May be harmful.

Over the previous 12 months, Amazon has resisted the union’s organizing marketing campaign Charges Unfair labor practices filed by employees and spent more than $14.2m 2022 on anti-union counsel.

“It is a type of corporations that basically talks a giant recreation about how nicely they deal with their employees, and but, once you really discuss to the employees, it is the exact opposite,” Alice Lugo. , an organizer in Georgia, with United for Respect on Amazon. , told the Guardian in April.

Sanders beforehand wrote a letter to Starbucks founder and former CEO Howard Schultz through which he accused the espresso firm of refusing to contract with employees who vote for unions.

“Over the previous 18 months, Starbucks has waged probably the most aggressive and unlawful union-busting marketing campaign in our nation’s fashionable historical past,” Sanders attacked at a Home committee listening to in March.

In an interview with the Publish, Sanders stated it was “completely potential” that Jesse or founder Jeff Bezos might be referred to as to testify on the similar listening to, as Schultz did.

“Amazon units an instance for the remainder of the nation,” Sanders stated. “What Amazon does, their habits, their lack of respect for his or her employees, destroys the American company world.”

Sanders advised the Publish that he was “appreciative” of Amazon’s choice to lift beginning wages however maintained that he was “deeply angered by their robust anti-union habits” and office security document.

Steve Kelly, a spokesman for Amazon, stated the corporate has recorded a 23 p.c discount in accidents since 2019 and has invested greater than $1bn in security initiatives, initiatives and applications over the previous 4 years.

“We proceed to speculate and innovate on this space as a result of nothing is extra vital than the security of our staff,” Kelly added, and he stated that the corporate’s critics had distributed the info “in line with their custom”.