New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is no fan of Amazon. You might remember when, a few months ago, Amazon announced they would not, in fact, be opening a headquarters in Queens, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to describe it as a major win. Given that Amazon’s policies and pay haven’t changed, it seems that the congresswoman’s view of the corporation hasn’t changed, either.
While appearing on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said that the reason Jeff Bezos has become the wealthiest man in the world is that he, basically, treats his employees like slave laborers. As a reminder of his net worth, it’s about $117 billion.
Interestingly, AOC noted to ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl that she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Bezos being super rich, if he accumulated that wealth while paying his workers well and treating them fairly. “If that’s the case and Jeff Bezos is still a billionaire, that’s one thing,” she stated. Then this important caveat followed: If his wealth has been “predicated on paying people starvation wages and stripping them of their ability to access health care,” that’s not okay.
Let’s look at how the company responded (and her response to its response) below.
Amazon attempted to slam Ocasio-Cortez’s critiques. For example, Amazon’s head of communications, Jay Carney, took to Twitter to reply:
An important piece of context for that, however, comes from Bloomberg. Amazon raised its minimum wage in 2018 for all US employees, sure. But it also got rid of stock awards and monthly bonuses for hourly employees, including those who work in the warehouse. Is this really a win for workers, in that case? No.
And then as a general statement released from Amazon to CNN, the company said, “These allegations are absurd. Amazon associates receive industry-leading pay starting at $15 an hour. … Amazon pre-pays 95% of continuing education tuition costs through its Career Choice program for associates who want to pursue in-demand careers.”
And on Twitter, Amazon News tweeted:
AOC responded to that rebuke on Twitter:
Reports on working conditions out of Amazon haven’t been good. Workers have reported that they’ve felt pressure to skip bathroom breaks in order to keep their jobs—with some pregnant people alleging they were fired from the warehouse over said bathroom breaks—and many report receiving food stamps in order to make ends meet. Overseas, some workers report sleeping in tents because they can’t afford housing close enough to the facilities where they work.
Other politicians are calling out Amazon, too, including presidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden:
According to 2017 filings, the median Amazon employee made a bit under $28,500, as reported by company filings. Remember: Bezos is a billionaire.
Here’s Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s interview, courtesy of YouTube: