UNITED STATES BERNIE SANDERS IN ALABAMA TO DEFEND THE IDEA OF ​​A FIRST UNION AT AMAZON

After months of mobilization by certain employees, the 5,800 employees of the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer will vote to decide whether they want to be represented by a union Amazon "is afraid", said left-wing senator Bernie Sanders on Friday in Alabama, where a vote is underway to decide whether to create a union, which would be a first for the online commerce giant in the United States. For the independent parliamentarian from Vermont, Amazon fears that if workers succeed (in forming a union), it will spread throughout the country, he told reporters after speaking with employees of the neighboring warehouse and trade unionists.

You have courage, he repeated to them, before calling out Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the richest man in the world, with a fortune estimated at nearly $180 billion according to Forbes. Mr. Bezos, you who have so much money ... why are you spending millions trying to fail workers who want nothing more than decent income, decent benefits, and conditions decent work?!”, he exclaimed.

After months of mobilization by certain employees, the approximately 5,800 employees of the Bessemer warehouse are asked to send a bulletin by post by March 29 to decide if they want to be represented by a union. The Seattle group does not officially oppose unions but campaigns against them. Employees reported weekly meetings aimed at discouraging them from mobilizing, as well as a website called Do It Without Dues (DoItWithoutDues) and even posters in bathrooms.

Second largest employer in the United States

Ironically, many employees complain about the lack of time to go to the bathroom. This subject has also become the symbol of the frantic pace and the inhumane treatment that certain employees describe. You don't believe (the myth) of employees who pee in bottles? If it were true, no one would work for us Amazon launched on Twitter on Wednesday in response to a Democratic elected official who was indignant at the tactics anti-union of the group.

The biting message was met with a flood of incriminating photos and counter-attacks from journalists and activists attesting to the reality of the problem, particularly for delivery workers, forced to use plastic bottles. There are warehouses in the region that pay $18-20 an hour,” said Joshua Brewer, local manager of RWDSU, the American distribution union that collected thousands of signatures of intent from workers in Bessemer last fall. Amazon repeatedly argues that the company pays a minimum of $15, more than double the minimum wage in Alabama The online commerce giant is the second largest employer in the United States, with 800,000 people, mainly in its sorting centers. In Europe, Amazon negotiates with unions, so they can negotiate with unions in the United States,” argued Bernie Sanders. The effort undertaken at Bessemer, a site which employs the vast majority of African-Americans, is the subject of media monitoring and tensions comparable to a political campaign because attempts to unionize in the group's warehouses have failed until now. 'now.

Joe Biden gave his support

Political figures (the former Democratic parliamentarian from Georgia Stacey Abrams, the Republican senator from Florida Marco Rubio), artistic (the actress Tina Fey, the actor Danny Glover), sports (the American football players' Union), and even President Joe Biden lent their support to aspiring unionists in Bessemer. Amazon has focused its communication over the past year on its essential role in supplying confined households, its vigorous recruitment, and its risk premiums linked to Covid-19.

United States: Amazon warehouse employees soon to be represented by a union?

But a few days before the end of the vote, Amazon's public relations have visibly decided to raise their voice. We would like to know why the minimum wage in Vermont is ONLY $11.75 when the senator has been one of the most powerful politicians (in the state) for over 30 years, asserted Dave Clark, the head of the company's consumer arm, during a verbal sparring match on Twitter with Bernie Sanders this week. “The senator should spare us his sermons until he is up to the task at home