Bernie Sanders and his longtime political partner, rapper Michael "Killer Mike" Render, are set to meet with Amazon workers in Alabama who are pushing to unionize.
Employees of the company are urging co-workers to join the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) in an effort to ensure their worker's rights are protected. Amazon has been accused of unfair treatment in the workforce and workers have until Monday to vote on whether to form the union, which is a first in Amazon's history. Sanders and Render arranged to meet with Amazon staff on Friday at the RWDSU union hall in Birmingham, Alabama, ahead of the voting deadline, according to CNBC.
"Jeff Bezos is spending millions trying to prevent workers from organizing a union so they can negotiate for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," the former presidential candidate and current Vermont senator tweeted on Thursday.
Dave Clark, Amazon's chief of worldwide consumer, hit back, arguing that starting pay for Amazon workers was $15 per hour, while in Sanders' home state in Vermont, the minimum wage is $11.75 an hour.
"The Sen should save his finger wagging lecture until after he actually delivers in his own backyard," Clark wrote in his post.
"So if you want to hear about $15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown," he added in a follow-up tweet. "But if you would like to make at least $15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is hiring."
The historical vote has inspired other Amazon workers to explore ways to form unions in their own Amazon facilities. Commenting on the union drives, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum said the movement was something "much bigger than Alabama" and even Amazon.
"It’s really about the future of work and how workers are going to be treated," he said, adding that, even if his union loses the vote in Bessemer, "this campaign will result in an explosion in organizing around the country."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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