Bernie Sanders announces Senate investigation into Amazon’s “dangerous and illegal” labor practices

Unbiased Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced Tuesday that he has launched a Senate investigation into Amazon pertaining to the company big’s labor practices, calling situations on the firm’s warehouses “harmful and unlawful” in a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. 

The investigation is being spearheaded by the Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee, or HELP, of which Sanders is chair — a place he has held since January.

“At the moment, I launched an investigation into Amazon’s disastrous security file,” wrote Sanders on Twitter.

“Amazon is without doubt one of the Most worthy firms on the earth owned by Jeff Bezos, one of many richest males on the earth. Amazon must be the most secure place in America to work, not some of the harmful,” he added.

The committee has additionally launched an internet site the place present and former Amazon workers are inspired to share tales of their office experiences whereas on the firm. The submissions are confidential, assures the committee, and purpose to assist the Senate examine “how the corporate fails to guard employees and evades duty for his or her essential medical care.”

“The corporate’s quest for income in any respect prices has led to unsafe bodily environments, intense stress to work at unsustainable charges, and insufficient medical consideration for tens of 1000’s of Amazon employees yearly,” wrote Sanders in his letter.

“We have reviewed the letter and strongly disagree with Senator Sanders’ assertions,” mentioned Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly in a press release to CBS Information — with an open invitation for Sanders to tour an Amazon facility.

Amazon has lengthy been criticized for its alleged labor practices, with reviews of employees urinating in bottles to keep away from taking breaks relationship again to 2021.

The corporate has additionally been tormented by strikes, Occupational Security and Well being Administration violations and rising office harm charges.

In 2022, Amazon workers “suffered extra critical accidents than all different warehouse employees within the nation mixed” — regardless of the corporate solely using roughly a 3rd of the nation’s warehouse employees, in line with a press launch from the HELP Committee. Amazon’s “critical harm price” is double the general common of the warehousing business, the discharge continues.

“We take the security and well being of our workers very severely,” Kelly mentioned within the assertion.

“There’ll at all times be methods to enhance, however we’re pleased with the progress we have made which features a 23% discount in recordable accidents throughout our U.S. operations since 2019,” Kelly added. “We have invested greater than $1 billion into security initiatives, tasks, and applications within the final 4 years, and we’ll proceed investing and inventing on this space as a result of nothing is extra vital than our workers’ security.” 

Earlier this yr, Sanders launched an identical investigation into Starbucks’ labor practices amid ongoing retailer unionization.

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