"Let me thank the many hundreds of Amazon workers who contacted my office and the Fight for $15 movement which has been leading this effort for years," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement on Tuesday. (Photo: Amazon/Screengrab)
Oct 02, 2018
What does it look and sound like when thousands of Amazon workers learn that CEO and world's richest man Jeff Bezos has finally relented to widespread grassroots pressure and raised the company's minimum wage to $15 an hour?
In a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday, Dave Clark--Amazon's senior vice president for worldwide operations and customer service--captured the moment he announced to California warehouse workers early Tuesday that Amazon has decided, in the face of intensifying political scrutiny, to raise its entry-level wage to $15 an hour for all of its 350,000 U.S. workers.
"This is what the political revolution is all about," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who has been leading the public pressure and shaming campaign against Amazon over the past several months--wrote on Twitter in response to the video.
Watch:
\u201cThis is what the political revolution is all about: today 350,000 Amazon workers found out they are getting a raise to at least $15 an hour.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1538496983
While Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) were applauded for their major role in calling attention to Amazon's poverty wages and awful warehouse working conditions with legislation and public town halls, the Vermont senator said during a press conference on Tuesday that the Fight for $15 movement and workers nationwide are the real "heroes" who deserve all the credit for the wage boost.
"Let me thank the many hundreds of Amazon workers who contacted my office and the Fight for $15 movement which has been leading this effort for years," Sanders said. "What Mr. Bezos has done today is not only enormously important for Amazon's hundreds of thousands of employees, it could well be a shot heard around the world. Mr. Bezos and Amazon are helping to lead the way, but there is no reason why other profitable corporations in the fast food industry, the airlines and retail should not be following suit."
\u201cWhat happened at Amazon is a big step forward for workers across the nation. I want to thank the many hundreds of workers at Amazon fulfillment centers all across this country who contacted us and spoke up.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1538508958
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
What does it look and sound like when thousands of Amazon workers learn that CEO and world's richest man Jeff Bezos has finally relented to widespread grassroots pressure and raised the company's minimum wage to $15 an hour?
In a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday, Dave Clark--Amazon's senior vice president for worldwide operations and customer service--captured the moment he announced to California warehouse workers early Tuesday that Amazon has decided, in the face of intensifying political scrutiny, to raise its entry-level wage to $15 an hour for all of its 350,000 U.S. workers.
"This is what the political revolution is all about," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who has been leading the public pressure and shaming campaign against Amazon over the past several months--wrote on Twitter in response to the video.
Watch:
\u201cThis is what the political revolution is all about: today 350,000 Amazon workers found out they are getting a raise to at least $15 an hour.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1538496983
While Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) were applauded for their major role in calling attention to Amazon's poverty wages and awful warehouse working conditions with legislation and public town halls, the Vermont senator said during a press conference on Tuesday that the Fight for $15 movement and workers nationwide are the real "heroes" who deserve all the credit for the wage boost.
"Let me thank the many hundreds of Amazon workers who contacted my office and the Fight for $15 movement which has been leading this effort for years," Sanders said. "What Mr. Bezos has done today is not only enormously important for Amazon's hundreds of thousands of employees, it could well be a shot heard around the world. Mr. Bezos and Amazon are helping to lead the way, but there is no reason why other profitable corporations in the fast food industry, the airlines and retail should not be following suit."
\u201cWhat happened at Amazon is a big step forward for workers across the nation. I want to thank the many hundreds of workers at Amazon fulfillment centers all across this country who contacted us and spoke up.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1538508958
What does it look and sound like when thousands of Amazon workers learn that CEO and world's richest man Jeff Bezos has finally relented to widespread grassroots pressure and raised the company's minimum wage to $15 an hour?
In a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday, Dave Clark--Amazon's senior vice president for worldwide operations and customer service--captured the moment he announced to California warehouse workers early Tuesday that Amazon has decided, in the face of intensifying political scrutiny, to raise its entry-level wage to $15 an hour for all of its 350,000 U.S. workers.
"This is what the political revolution is all about," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who has been leading the public pressure and shaming campaign against Amazon over the past several months--wrote on Twitter in response to the video.
Watch:
\u201cThis is what the political revolution is all about: today 350,000 Amazon workers found out they are getting a raise to at least $15 an hour.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1538496983
While Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) were applauded for their major role in calling attention to Amazon's poverty wages and awful warehouse working conditions with legislation and public town halls, the Vermont senator said during a press conference on Tuesday that the Fight for $15 movement and workers nationwide are the real "heroes" who deserve all the credit for the wage boost.
"Let me thank the many hundreds of Amazon workers who contacted my office and the Fight for $15 movement which has been leading this effort for years," Sanders said. "What Mr. Bezos has done today is not only enormously important for Amazon's hundreds of thousands of employees, it could well be a shot heard around the world. Mr. Bezos and Amazon are helping to lead the way, but there is no reason why other profitable corporations in the fast food industry, the airlines and retail should not be following suit."
\u201cWhat happened at Amazon is a big step forward for workers across the nation. I want to thank the many hundreds of workers at Amazon fulfillment centers all across this country who contacted us and spoke up.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1538508958
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.