Bernie Sanders goes after Amazon with new Senate investigation
Washington DC - Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday announced a new Senate investigation into working and safety conditions at Amazon warehouses!
Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP Committee), has been an outspoken critic of Amazon's treatment of warehouse workers, and now he is taking the next step with a new federal probe.
"Today, I launched an investigation into Amazon's disastrous safety record," the senator tweeted on Tuesday. "Amazon is one of the most valuable companies in the world owned by Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world. Amazon should be the safest place in America to work, not one of the most dangerous."
The HELP Committee has also set up a new website for Amazon workers to submit confidential testimonies about their own experiences on the job.
The probe comes amid disturbing reports of the company's unsafe quota systems, high employee injury rates, and invasive surveillance mechanisms, in addition to corporate backlash against workers' unionization efforts.
Bernie Sanders ramps up efforts to hold Amazon accountable
Sanders has been a vocal supporter of the Amazon organizing wave as he seeks to rein in corporate greed.
"The company’s quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year," the Vermont Independent wrote in a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announcing the investigation.
The letter went on to note that Amazon has received "at least 30 hazard alert letters, as well as at least 50 citations for violating workplace health and safety laws" from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
An Amazon spokesperson denied OSHA's claims and said the company plans to appeal.
Earlier this year, Sanders started a similar investigation into Starbucks' unfair labor practices.
Cover photo: KENA BETANCUR / AFP