By David Shepardson and Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders on Thursday slammed Amazon.com Inc and its chairman at a hearing on the company’s labor practices as he pushed the White House to end government contracts for the retailer.
“Amazon has done everything possible – legal and illegal – to defeat union organizing efforts,” Sanders said. He addressed Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos, who had been invited to testify but did not appear.
“Given all your wealth, how much do you need? Why are you doing everything in your power, including breaking the law, to deny Amazon workers the right to join a union so that they can negotiate for better wages, better working conditions and better benefits?” Sanders asked. “How much do you need?”
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The committee is hearing testimony from several people including Christian Smalls, who heads the Amazon Labor Union.
Smalls backed Sanders’ push for the White House to end federal contracts to companies like Amazon that are accused of unfair labor practices.
“We cannot allow Amazon or any other employer to receive
taxpayer money if they engage in illegal union-busting behavior and deny workers’ rights,” Smalls said in written testimony. “We cannot provide federal contracts to these employers. We cannot allow them to receive taxpayer subsidies from our state and local governments.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the panel, criticized Sanders for singling out Amazon. “This is an effort to get an outcome you want using the United States Senate as your vehicle. This is very dangerous. You can have oversight hearings how you like but you determine Amazon is a piece of crap company. That’s your political bias,” Graham said.
Also testifying are Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien and Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First.
Later in the day, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will host a White House meeting with Smalls and labor leaders seeking to represent workers at Amazon, Starbucks Corp and other employers.
Last week, Sanders urged President Joe Biden to issue an executive order cutting off federal contracts to Amazon, saying the online retailer “has become the poster child for illegal anti-union behavior while raking in billions in federal contracts.”
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York City recently voted to form the first union at the second-largest U.S. private employer and join the Amazon Labor Union under the leadership of Smalls, a former worker who has argued for higher pay and job security.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Chris Sanders and Matthew Lewis)
