Al Drago/Getty Images, Yagi Studio/Getty Images, Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
- Amazon again denied its warehouse workers urinate in bottles, during a Twitter spat with a lawmaker.
- Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan had used to anecdote to counter Amazon's claims that it's a "progressive workplace."
- Amazon has come under fire from Democratic lawmakers over the past month for its anti-union efforts.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Amazon would really like Democratic lawmakers to forget stories about its warehouse workers peeing in bottles amid allegations of union-busting tactics.
The retail giant fired at one of its critics, Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, on Twitter on Wednesday, saying: "You don't really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us. The truth is that we have over a million incredible employees around the world who are proud of what they do, and have great wages and health care from day one."
This was in response to Pocan's earlier tweet about Amazon, in which he commented: "Paying workers $15/hr doesn't make you a "progressive workplace" when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles."
Tensions between Amazon and some Democratic lawmakers, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, are running high as Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama vote on whether to unionize.
The reference to warehouse workers peeing in bottles out of desperation originates from a claim made by British author James Bloodworth in 2018, after he went undercover at an Amazon warehouse. He told Insider at the time that he had come across a bottle of urine on a warehouse shelf, and said workers were admonished for taking toilet breaks.
Drivers of Amazon-affiliated courier companies also told Insider that some workers urinated in bottles to save time on the road.
Dave Clark, Amazon's consumer chief, claimed on Wednesday that the company is "like the Sanders of employers" but that "we actually deliver a progressive workplace for our constituents."
He made the comments ahead of Sanders' visit to Amazon's Alabama warehouse to meet workers amid the vote.
"If you want to hear about $15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown. But if you would like to make at least $15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is hiring," Clark added.
Amazon called on lawmakers to push other employers to provide better benefits.
"We hope you can enact policies that get other employers to offer what we already do," the firm tweeted.
Amazon is raised its minimum wage to $15 following pressure from Sanders, and has recently been pushing for lawmakers to hike up the minimum wage nationally.
Amazon has pushed workers to vote against unionization
Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama have until Monday to vote on whether to form what would be the company's first union.
Amazon has aggressively opposed this, telling employees that unions aren't worth the money charged in dues and that the company already provides enough benefits to workers. The company placed anti-union ads on Twitch, reportedly posted anti-union messages in warehouse bathroom stalls, and pushed the National Labor Relations Board to require in-person votes.
Some Democratic lawmakers, on the other hand, have spoken out in support of unionization.
Without naming Amazon, President Joe Biden said in a video posted by Bloomberg that "the choice to join a union is up to the workers."
"There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda," he added.
Sanders, on the other hand, has been much more outspoken in his criticism of Amazon's anti-union push.
"[Amazon CEO Jeff] Bezos, you are worth $182 billion," Sanders said at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on March 17. "You're the wealthiest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?"
An Insider survey of Amazon employees nationwide showed that about 40% wished they were represented by a union.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/2PsnK34
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