Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has launched an investigation into what he says is Amazon’s “disastrous safety record” and unfair treatment of workers who suffer injuries in its warehouses.
The letter claims that the conditions at Amazon’s warehouses are “dangerous and illegal” and accuses the retail giant of being on a “quest for profits at all costs” which has, in turn, 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.”
At the time, Amazon said it takes the safety and health of its employees “very seriously,” adding that it “strongly disagreed” with the allegations and planned to appeal.
‘Endless Pursuit of Profits’
The retail giant has also been under scrutiny for opposing attempts at unionization.“Amazon should be one of the safest places in America to work, not one of the most dangerous,” Sanders wrote in his letter to Jassy. “If Amazon can afford to spend $6 billion on stock buybacks last year, it can afford to make sure that its warehouses are safe places to work,” it continued. “If Amazon can afford to pay you $289 million in total compensation over the past two years, it can afford to treat all of its workers with dignity and respect, not contempt.”
Sanders urged the company to “stop pushing workers past their limits and discarding them when they are no longer useful” and asked that they hand over an internal 2021 report highlighting the company’s “high turnover rate and looming labor crisis” by July 5.
His letter also noted that since 2015, OSHA has issued Amazon at least 30 hazard alert letters, as well as at least 50 citations for “violating workplace health and safety laws.”
“In its endless pursuit of profits, Amazon sacrifices workers’ bodies under the constant pressure of a surveillance system that enforces impossible rates,” he wrote.
“When faced with worker injuries, Amazon provides minimal medical care while hiding those injuries from regulators and workers’ compensation programs. This system forces workers to endure immeasurable long-term pain and disabilities while Amazon makes incredible profits from their labor. That cannot be allowed to continue,” Sanders continued.
“The time has come for Amazon to stop willfully violating workplace safety laws with impunity and commit to changing its operations to protect the health and safety of its worker,” the Vermont lawmaker concluded.
Bezos May Testify
On Twitter, Sanders also encouraged current or former Amazon workers, supervisors, medical staff, and others who work or worked in Amazon’s warehouses to contact him to help inform the investigation.“We take the safety and health of our employees very seriously,” Kelly said. “There will always be ways to improve, but we’re proud of the progress we’ve made which includes a 23 percent reduction in recordable injuries across our U.S. operations since 2019. We’ve invested more than $1 billion into safety initiatives, projects, and programs in the last four years, and we’ll continue investing and inventing in this area because nothing is more important than our employees’ safety.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Amazon for comment.
