Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) walks through the Senate subway on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2021. (Photo: Oliver Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
Mar 11, 2021
Amid the ongoing surge in billionaire wealth during the coronavirus pandemic and the union drive underway at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates will testify next week about the crisis of inequality in the United States--at a hearing to which Jeff Bezos, the company's chief executive and world's wealthiest person, has also been invited.
By inviting Bates to provide testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, which Sanders chairs, the Independent senator from Vermont is bringing a historic labor struggle to Capitol Hill, as the Washington Postframed it.
"What you are seeing right now in Bessemer is an example of the richest person in this country spending a whole lot of money to make it harder for ordinary working people to live with dignity and safety," Sanders told the Post in an interview.
In a statement released Friday, Sanders said that "millions of Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work, while hunger in the country is at the highest level in decades. During the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day."
"Meanwhile," the senator continued, "the wealthiest people in the country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality are soaring. Incredibly, during the pandemic, 664 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by $1.3 trillion."
"Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, owns more wealth than the bottom 39% of Americans combined," Sanders noted.
\u201cWhy is Jeff Bezos denying hazard pay, paid sick leave & economic dignity to workers, while he became $78 billion richer during the pandemic & is now worth $183 billion? Bernie invited Mr. Bezos to testify in the Budget Committee to answer that question. https://t.co/dZi5xY02yo\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1615557830
And yet--despite watching his fortune swell from $113 billion to $179.9 billion over the past 12 months, during which millions of people endured economic hardship--Bezos "is currently engaged in an aggressive union-busting campaign against Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama to stop them from collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Sanders added.
The senator told the Post that "Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now, when the very, very rich are doing phenomenally well while ordinary working people are struggling to put food on the table."
Sanders has publicly supported Amazon warehouse workers in their unionization push since they first filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the organizing effort in Alabama a potential "shot heard around the world," as Common Dreams reported in November.
With the Amazon workers in Bessemer now in the midst of a seven-week mail-in election that will run through the end of March, Sanders again emphasized the significance of the union drive in Alabama.
"If they can win, I think that will send a message to workers all over this country that if you are prepared to stand up and fight, you can win a union, you can win better wages and better working conditions," Sanders told the Post.
Bates, for her part, toldDemocracy Now! in an interview last month that "the reason why we're organizing is because we need an even playing field."
"We want to be heard," she added. "We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Amid the ongoing surge in billionaire wealth during the coronavirus pandemic and the union drive underway at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates will testify next week about the crisis of inequality in the United States--at a hearing to which Jeff Bezos, the company's chief executive and world's wealthiest person, has also been invited.
By inviting Bates to provide testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, which Sanders chairs, the Independent senator from Vermont is bringing a historic labor struggle to Capitol Hill, as the Washington Postframed it.
"What you are seeing right now in Bessemer is an example of the richest person in this country spending a whole lot of money to make it harder for ordinary working people to live with dignity and safety," Sanders told the Post in an interview.
In a statement released Friday, Sanders said that "millions of Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work, while hunger in the country is at the highest level in decades. During the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day."
"Meanwhile," the senator continued, "the wealthiest people in the country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality are soaring. Incredibly, during the pandemic, 664 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by $1.3 trillion."
"Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, owns more wealth than the bottom 39% of Americans combined," Sanders noted.
\u201cWhy is Jeff Bezos denying hazard pay, paid sick leave & economic dignity to workers, while he became $78 billion richer during the pandemic & is now worth $183 billion? Bernie invited Mr. Bezos to testify in the Budget Committee to answer that question. https://t.co/dZi5xY02yo\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1615557830
And yet--despite watching his fortune swell from $113 billion to $179.9 billion over the past 12 months, during which millions of people endured economic hardship--Bezos "is currently engaged in an aggressive union-busting campaign against Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama to stop them from collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Sanders added.
The senator told the Post that "Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now, when the very, very rich are doing phenomenally well while ordinary working people are struggling to put food on the table."
Sanders has publicly supported Amazon warehouse workers in their unionization push since they first filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the organizing effort in Alabama a potential "shot heard around the world," as Common Dreams reported in November.
With the Amazon workers in Bessemer now in the midst of a seven-week mail-in election that will run through the end of March, Sanders again emphasized the significance of the union drive in Alabama.
"If they can win, I think that will send a message to workers all over this country that if you are prepared to stand up and fight, you can win a union, you can win better wages and better working conditions," Sanders told the Post.
Bates, for her part, toldDemocracy Now! in an interview last month that "the reason why we're organizing is because we need an even playing field."
"We want to be heard," she added. "We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues."
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Amid the ongoing surge in billionaire wealth during the coronavirus pandemic and the union drive underway at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates will testify next week about the crisis of inequality in the United States--at a hearing to which Jeff Bezos, the company's chief executive and world's wealthiest person, has also been invited.
By inviting Bates to provide testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, which Sanders chairs, the Independent senator from Vermont is bringing a historic labor struggle to Capitol Hill, as the Washington Postframed it.
"What you are seeing right now in Bessemer is an example of the richest person in this country spending a whole lot of money to make it harder for ordinary working people to live with dignity and safety," Sanders told the Post in an interview.
In a statement released Friday, Sanders said that "millions of Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work, while hunger in the country is at the highest level in decades. During the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day."
"Meanwhile," the senator continued, "the wealthiest people in the country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality are soaring. Incredibly, during the pandemic, 664 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by $1.3 trillion."
"Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, owns more wealth than the bottom 39% of Americans combined," Sanders noted.
\u201cWhy is Jeff Bezos denying hazard pay, paid sick leave & economic dignity to workers, while he became $78 billion richer during the pandemic & is now worth $183 billion? Bernie invited Mr. Bezos to testify in the Budget Committee to answer that question. https://t.co/dZi5xY02yo\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1615557830
And yet--despite watching his fortune swell from $113 billion to $179.9 billion over the past 12 months, during which millions of people endured economic hardship--Bezos "is currently engaged in an aggressive union-busting campaign against Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama to stop them from collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Sanders added.
The senator told the Post that "Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now, when the very, very rich are doing phenomenally well while ordinary working people are struggling to put food on the table."
Sanders has publicly supported Amazon warehouse workers in their unionization push since they first filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the organizing effort in Alabama a potential "shot heard around the world," as Common Dreams reported in November.
With the Amazon workers in Bessemer now in the midst of a seven-week mail-in election that will run through the end of March, Sanders again emphasized the significance of the union drive in Alabama.
"If they can win, I think that will send a message to workers all over this country that if you are prepared to stand up and fight, you can win a union, you can win better wages and better working conditions," Sanders told the Post.
Bates, for her part, toldDemocracy Now! in an interview last month that "the reason why we're organizing is because we need an even playing field."
"We want to be heard," she added. "We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues."
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.