Dems Call for Investigation of Amazon Warehouses — Amazon Blasts Back

In the days after workers at its Shakopee, Minnesota facility announced it would strike during Amazon Prime Day, the statement hits back at those who’ve criticized its practices.

Presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that he stands in solidarity with the courageous Amazon workers engaging in a work stoppage against unconscionable working conditions in their warehouses.

“It is not too much to ask that a company owned by the wealthiest person in the world treat its workers with dignity and respect,” Sanders wrote.

On its Day One Blog, Amazon stressed that “safety is a fundamental principle across our company.”

Sanders continued in a separate tweet, “Amazon #PrimeDay sales are nice, but not if they come at the expense of worker safety. The Department of Labor must #InvestigateAmazon.”

Tuesday afternoon, Sanders and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, along with 13 other members of congress called for the Department of Labor to investigate all of Amazon’s U.S. warehouses, according to CNET.

Omar tweeted, “Amazon workers fear taking bathroom and water breaks for fear of retaliation. There are multiple reports of deaths of Amazon workers on the company’s watch. No worker should be treated like this. Proud to join @SenSanders to demand accountability for @amazon.”

Amazon wrote in a blog post Tuesday that Omar and Sanders were both invited to tour the facilities.

“The allegations outlined in this letter are not an accurate portrayal of activities in our buildings,” Amazon wrote. “But don’t take our word for it, join the more than 125,000 people, including 441 policymakers and their staffs, who have taken our public tours this year – they are open to anyone six and up (that’s how safe our buildings are!).”

Amazon continued that visitors have included U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar who did not raise concerns in the months following her tour of our Minnesota facility.

“We have also given Senator Bernie Sanders an open invitation to visit a facility of his choosing to see for himself what it is like to work at Amazon,” Amazon wrote. “He committed to visiting, but to date has never stepped foot in one of our buildings.”

According to Amazon’s statement, the company has invested more than $55 million on safety improvement projects throughout its fulfillment centers nationwide. Amazon states that safety is inherent in its building design, infrastructure and operations.

“In 2018, we provided more than one million hours of safety training to employees across the US. Operational meetings, new hire orientation, process training, and new process development begin with safety and have safety metrics and audits integrated within each program.”