- Amazon denied in a discussion on Twitter with a legislator that its employees urinate in bottles.
- Representative Mark Pocan used the anecdote to oppose Amazon’s claim that it is a “progressive workplace”.
- Democratic lawmakers criticized Amazon last month for its anti-union efforts.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Amazon would really like Democratic lawmakers to forget the stories about its warehouse workers peeing in bottles amid allegations of union-fighting tactics.
The retail giant told one of its critics, Democratic Representative Mark Pocan, on Twitter on Wednesday: “You really don’t believe in this thing of peeing in bottles, do you? If that were true, no one would work for us. The truth is that we have over a million amazing employees around the world who are proud of what they do, and have good salaries and health care from day one. “
Pocan had before tweeted: “Paying workers $ 15 / hour doesn’t make you a ‘progressive workplace’ when you denounce the union and make workers urinate in water bottles.”
Tensions between Amazon and some Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, are high as workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, vote on unionization.
The reference to depot workers peeing in bottles in desperation stems from a statement made by British writer James Bloodworth in 2018 after he infiltrated an Amazon depot. He told Insider at the time that he found a bottle of urine on a storage shelf and that workers were cautioned for taking breaks to go to the bathroom.
Drivers of courier companies affiliated with Amazon also told Insider that some workers urinated in bottles to save time on the road.
Dave Clark, Amazon’s chief consumer, said on Wednesday that the company is “the Bernie Sanders of employers” but that “we actually offer a progressive workplace for our constituents”.
Sanders is due to visit Amazon’s warehouse in Alabama on Friday to meet with workers during the union vote.
“If you want to hear about $ 15 an hour and medical assistance, Senator Sanders will speak downtown,” added Clark. “But if you want to earn at least $ 15 an hour and get good health care, Amazon is hiring.”
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Amazon asked lawmakers to pressure other employers to offer better benefits.
“We hope that you can approve policies that lead other employers to offer what we already offer,” tweeted the company.
Amazon, which raised its minimum wage to $ 15 in 2018 after pressure from Sanders, recently lobbied lawmakers to raise the minimum wage nationally.
Amazon pressured workers to vote against unionization
Workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer have until Monday to vote on whether to form what would be the company’s first union.
Amazon has aggressively opposed this, telling employees that unions are not worth the money charged in fees and that the company already offers sufficient benefits to workers. The company placed anti-union ads on Twitch, reportedly posted anti-union messages in depot bathrooms, and pressured the National Labor Relations Board to demand personal votes.
Some Democratic lawmakers, on the other hand, have spoken out in support of union membership.
Without naming Amazon, President Joe Biden said in a video posted by Bloomberg that “the choice of joining a union depends on the workers”.
“There should be no intimidation, coercion, threats, anti-union propaganda,” he added.
Sanders was much more outspoken in his criticisms of Amazon’s anti-union campaign.
“Bezos, you’re worth $ 182 billion,” Sanders said of Amazon’s CEO at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on March 17. “You are the richest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to prevent your workers in Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?”
In an Insider survey of Amazon employees across the country, about 40% said they would like to be represented by a union.