A nurse attends a protest, organised by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) in front of the National Holdings Corporation on May 8, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)
May 22, 2020
During a virtual town hall late Thursday with public health professionals and labor leaders, Sen. Bernie Sanders ripped big companies for spending money on advertisements hailing frontline workers as "heroes and heroines" while refusing to pay these essential employees higher wages as they perform their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"I personally get really sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing these companies run these ads, 'Thank you heroes and heroines, but of course we're not going to pay you any more money,'" said the Vermont senator. "That is just, to my mind, nauseating."
Watch:
\u201c"I personally get really sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing these companies run these ads "THANK YOU HEROES AND HEROINES," but of course we're not going to pay you any more money, and that is, to my mind, nauseating." @BernieSanders\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1590104692
A number of major and notoriously abusive corporations--including Amazon, Walmart, and Uber--have run television spots and YouTube ads in recent weeks praising their employees while simultaneously continuing to pay low wages and failing to provide adequate safety equipment.
On March 27, Amazon--headed by world's richest man Jeff Bezos--posted a video celebrating the company's "retail heroes" and vowing to do "everything we can" to ensure their health and safety. Three days later, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island walked off the job to protest the company's refusal to implement adequate workplace safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
"Amazon's actions do not match their statements that they are prioritizing our health or the health of the public," one Amazon employee said at the time.
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, Amazon announced it is planning to end a $2-an-hour hazard pay increase for warehouse employees on May 31, even as the company's CEO sees his wealth skyrocket. According to an analysis released Thursday by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, Bezos' fortune grew by nearly $35 billion between March 18 and May 19.
Amazon is not alone in ending small pay increases even as the coronavirus crisis continues. As Voxreported:
Kroger's "hero bonus" raises ended on May 16, even as coronavirus cases continued to rise across the country. The grocer isn't alone--other companies that instituted some form of additional pay for workers earlier this year in recognition of their position on the front lines are now rolling back those increases, even though the danger is far from gone. Starbucks, for example, is planning to end a $3-per-hour raise for workers at the end of May...
Meanwhile, some companies that employ essential workers right now have seen increased sales and boosted executive pay in recent months. Kroger, for example, saw same-store sales increase 30 percent in March as customers stocked up on groceries, according to Winsight Grocery Business. And Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen received a 21 percent increase in compensation last year, boosting his income to more than $14 million.
Members of Congress and President Donald Trump have also come under fire for failing to pass hazard pay increases for frontline workers even as they honor the heroism of essential employees with military flyovers and words of praise at press conferences.
The HEROES Act--$3 trillion legislation passed by the House last Friday--includes a $200 billion "Heroes Fund" aimed at providing hazard pay for frontline workers, but the proposal's fate is unclear in the Republican-controlled Senate, which left town for Memorial Day recess on Thursday.
Watch Sanders' full town hall:
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
During a virtual town hall late Thursday with public health professionals and labor leaders, Sen. Bernie Sanders ripped big companies for spending money on advertisements hailing frontline workers as "heroes and heroines" while refusing to pay these essential employees higher wages as they perform their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"I personally get really sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing these companies run these ads, 'Thank you heroes and heroines, but of course we're not going to pay you any more money,'" said the Vermont senator. "That is just, to my mind, nauseating."
Watch:
\u201c"I personally get really sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing these companies run these ads "THANK YOU HEROES AND HEROINES," but of course we're not going to pay you any more money, and that is, to my mind, nauseating." @BernieSanders\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1590104692
A number of major and notoriously abusive corporations--including Amazon, Walmart, and Uber--have run television spots and YouTube ads in recent weeks praising their employees while simultaneously continuing to pay low wages and failing to provide adequate safety equipment.
On March 27, Amazon--headed by world's richest man Jeff Bezos--posted a video celebrating the company's "retail heroes" and vowing to do "everything we can" to ensure their health and safety. Three days later, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island walked off the job to protest the company's refusal to implement adequate workplace safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
"Amazon's actions do not match their statements that they are prioritizing our health or the health of the public," one Amazon employee said at the time.
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, Amazon announced it is planning to end a $2-an-hour hazard pay increase for warehouse employees on May 31, even as the company's CEO sees his wealth skyrocket. According to an analysis released Thursday by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, Bezos' fortune grew by nearly $35 billion between March 18 and May 19.
Amazon is not alone in ending small pay increases even as the coronavirus crisis continues. As Voxreported:
Kroger's "hero bonus" raises ended on May 16, even as coronavirus cases continued to rise across the country. The grocer isn't alone--other companies that instituted some form of additional pay for workers earlier this year in recognition of their position on the front lines are now rolling back those increases, even though the danger is far from gone. Starbucks, for example, is planning to end a $3-per-hour raise for workers at the end of May...
Meanwhile, some companies that employ essential workers right now have seen increased sales and boosted executive pay in recent months. Kroger, for example, saw same-store sales increase 30 percent in March as customers stocked up on groceries, according to Winsight Grocery Business. And Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen received a 21 percent increase in compensation last year, boosting his income to more than $14 million.
Members of Congress and President Donald Trump have also come under fire for failing to pass hazard pay increases for frontline workers even as they honor the heroism of essential employees with military flyovers and words of praise at press conferences.
The HEROES Act--$3 trillion legislation passed by the House last Friday--includes a $200 billion "Heroes Fund" aimed at providing hazard pay for frontline workers, but the proposal's fate is unclear in the Republican-controlled Senate, which left town for Memorial Day recess on Thursday.
Watch Sanders' full town hall:
During a virtual town hall late Thursday with public health professionals and labor leaders, Sen. Bernie Sanders ripped big companies for spending money on advertisements hailing frontline workers as "heroes and heroines" while refusing to pay these essential employees higher wages as they perform their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"I personally get really sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing these companies run these ads, 'Thank you heroes and heroines, but of course we're not going to pay you any more money,'" said the Vermont senator. "That is just, to my mind, nauseating."
Watch:
\u201c"I personally get really sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing these companies run these ads "THANK YOU HEROES AND HEROINES," but of course we're not going to pay you any more money, and that is, to my mind, nauseating." @BernieSanders\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1590104692
A number of major and notoriously abusive corporations--including Amazon, Walmart, and Uber--have run television spots and YouTube ads in recent weeks praising their employees while simultaneously continuing to pay low wages and failing to provide adequate safety equipment.
On March 27, Amazon--headed by world's richest man Jeff Bezos--posted a video celebrating the company's "retail heroes" and vowing to do "everything we can" to ensure their health and safety. Three days later, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island walked off the job to protest the company's refusal to implement adequate workplace safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
"Amazon's actions do not match their statements that they are prioritizing our health or the health of the public," one Amazon employee said at the time.
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, Amazon announced it is planning to end a $2-an-hour hazard pay increase for warehouse employees on May 31, even as the company's CEO sees his wealth skyrocket. According to an analysis released Thursday by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, Bezos' fortune grew by nearly $35 billion between March 18 and May 19.
Amazon is not alone in ending small pay increases even as the coronavirus crisis continues. As Voxreported:
Kroger's "hero bonus" raises ended on May 16, even as coronavirus cases continued to rise across the country. The grocer isn't alone--other companies that instituted some form of additional pay for workers earlier this year in recognition of their position on the front lines are now rolling back those increases, even though the danger is far from gone. Starbucks, for example, is planning to end a $3-per-hour raise for workers at the end of May...
Meanwhile, some companies that employ essential workers right now have seen increased sales and boosted executive pay in recent months. Kroger, for example, saw same-store sales increase 30 percent in March as customers stocked up on groceries, according to Winsight Grocery Business. And Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen received a 21 percent increase in compensation last year, boosting his income to more than $14 million.
Members of Congress and President Donald Trump have also come under fire for failing to pass hazard pay increases for frontline workers even as they honor the heroism of essential employees with military flyovers and words of praise at press conferences.
The HEROES Act--$3 trillion legislation passed by the House last Friday--includes a $200 billion "Heroes Fund" aimed at providing hazard pay for frontline workers, but the proposal's fate is unclear in the Republican-controlled Senate, which left town for Memorial Day recess on Thursday.
Watch Sanders' full town hall:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.