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.
Sanders, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent a letter (pdf) to Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy to inform him of the investigation on June 20.
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.”
Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, the third richest person in the world according to Forbes, and has a market cap of around $1.3 trillion.
The company has been probed on multiple occasions, and a recent investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has determined that it allegedly failed to ensure employees at its fulfillment center in Castleton, New York, received adequate medical treatment for traumatic and chronic injuries, including head and back injuries.
In January, OSHA cited Amazon for failing to keep its workers safe at three of its warehouse facilities in Deltona, Florida, Waukegan, Illinois, and New Windsor, New York.
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.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the Senator said it was “an absolute possibility” that Jassy or Bezos could also be called to testify before a congressional committee regarding the issue.
In a statement to NBC News, Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly said that company officials have reviewed Sanders’ letter and “strongly disagree” with the claims he makes.
“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.”
A March report by Amazon also found that its recordable incident rate improved by 11 percent from 2021 to 2022 and by nearly 24 percent from 2019 to 2022.
The Epoch Times reached out to Amazon for comment.
Earlier this year, Sanders launched an investigation into Starbucks’ “union-busting” practices, accusing the company of refusing to bargain a first contract in good faith and using delay tactics.
Former Starbucks chief executive, Howard Schultz has denied those claims.
