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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) walks through the Senate subway on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2021. (Photo: Oliver Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
Sanders Invites Amazon Worker to Testify About Inequality Alongside Jeff Bezos
"Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now," said the Vermont senator.
Mar 11, 2021
Amid the ongoing surge in billionaire wealth during the coronavirus pandemic and the union drive underway at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates will testify next week about the crisis of inequality in the United States--at a hearing to which Jeff Bezos, the company's chief executive and world's wealthiest person, has also been invited.
By inviting Bates to provide testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, which Sanders chairs, the Independent senator from Vermont is bringing a historic labor struggle to Capitol Hill, as the Washington Postframed it.
"What you are seeing right now in Bessemer is an example of the richest person in this country spending a whole lot of money to make it harder for ordinary working people to live with dignity and safety," Sanders told the Post in an interview.
In a statement released Friday, Sanders said that "millions of Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work, while hunger in the country is at the highest level in decades. During the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day."
"Meanwhile," the senator continued, "the wealthiest people in the country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality are soaring. Incredibly, during the pandemic, 664 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by $1.3 trillion."
"Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, owns more wealth than the bottom 39% of Americans combined," Sanders noted.
\u201cWhy is Jeff Bezos denying hazard pay, paid sick leave & economic dignity to workers, while he became $78 billion richer during the pandemic & is now worth $183 billion? Bernie invited Mr. Bezos to testify in the Budget Committee to answer that question. https://t.co/dZi5xY02yo\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1615557830
And yet--despite watching his fortune swell from $113 billion to $179.9 billion over the past 12 months, during which millions of people endured economic hardship--Bezos "is currently engaged in an aggressive union-busting campaign against Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama to stop them from collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Sanders added.
The senator told the Post that "Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now, when the very, very rich are doing phenomenally well while ordinary working people are struggling to put food on the table."
Sanders has publicly supported Amazon warehouse workers in their unionization push since they first filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the organizing effort in Alabama a potential "shot heard around the world," as Common Dreams reported in November.
With the Amazon workers in Bessemer now in the midst of a seven-week mail-in election that will run through the end of March, Sanders again emphasized the significance of the union drive in Alabama.
"If they can win, I think that will send a message to workers all over this country that if you are prepared to stand up and fight, you can win a union, you can win better wages and better working conditions," Sanders told the Post.
Bates, for her part, toldDemocracy Now! in an interview last month that "the reason why we're organizing is because we need an even playing field."
"We want to be heard," she added. "We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues."
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Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Amid the ongoing surge in billionaire wealth during the coronavirus pandemic and the union drive underway at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates will testify next week about the crisis of inequality in the United States--at a hearing to which Jeff Bezos, the company's chief executive and world's wealthiest person, has also been invited.
By inviting Bates to provide testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, which Sanders chairs, the Independent senator from Vermont is bringing a historic labor struggle to Capitol Hill, as the Washington Postframed it.
"What you are seeing right now in Bessemer is an example of the richest person in this country spending a whole lot of money to make it harder for ordinary working people to live with dignity and safety," Sanders told the Post in an interview.
In a statement released Friday, Sanders said that "millions of Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work, while hunger in the country is at the highest level in decades. During the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day."
"Meanwhile," the senator continued, "the wealthiest people in the country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality are soaring. Incredibly, during the pandemic, 664 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by $1.3 trillion."
"Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, owns more wealth than the bottom 39% of Americans combined," Sanders noted.
\u201cWhy is Jeff Bezos denying hazard pay, paid sick leave & economic dignity to workers, while he became $78 billion richer during the pandemic & is now worth $183 billion? Bernie invited Mr. Bezos to testify in the Budget Committee to answer that question. https://t.co/dZi5xY02yo\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1615557830
And yet--despite watching his fortune swell from $113 billion to $179.9 billion over the past 12 months, during which millions of people endured economic hardship--Bezos "is currently engaged in an aggressive union-busting campaign against Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama to stop them from collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Sanders added.
The senator told the Post that "Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now, when the very, very rich are doing phenomenally well while ordinary working people are struggling to put food on the table."
Sanders has publicly supported Amazon warehouse workers in their unionization push since they first filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the organizing effort in Alabama a potential "shot heard around the world," as Common Dreams reported in November.
With the Amazon workers in Bessemer now in the midst of a seven-week mail-in election that will run through the end of March, Sanders again emphasized the significance of the union drive in Alabama.
"If they can win, I think that will send a message to workers all over this country that if you are prepared to stand up and fight, you can win a union, you can win better wages and better working conditions," Sanders told the Post.
Bates, for her part, toldDemocracy Now! in an interview last month that "the reason why we're organizing is because we need an even playing field."
"We want to be heard," she added. "We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues."
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Amid the ongoing surge in billionaire wealth during the coronavirus pandemic and the union drive underway at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates will testify next week about the crisis of inequality in the United States--at a hearing to which Jeff Bezos, the company's chief executive and world's wealthiest person, has also been invited.
By inviting Bates to provide testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, which Sanders chairs, the Independent senator from Vermont is bringing a historic labor struggle to Capitol Hill, as the Washington Postframed it.
"What you are seeing right now in Bessemer is an example of the richest person in this country spending a whole lot of money to make it harder for ordinary working people to live with dignity and safety," Sanders told the Post in an interview.
In a statement released Friday, Sanders said that "millions of Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work, while hunger in the country is at the highest level in decades. During the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day."
"Meanwhile," the senator continued, "the wealthiest people in the country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality are soaring. Incredibly, during the pandemic, 664 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by $1.3 trillion."
"Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, owns more wealth than the bottom 39% of Americans combined," Sanders noted.
\u201cWhy is Jeff Bezos denying hazard pay, paid sick leave & economic dignity to workers, while he became $78 billion richer during the pandemic & is now worth $183 billion? Bernie invited Mr. Bezos to testify in the Budget Committee to answer that question. https://t.co/dZi5xY02yo\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1615557830
And yet--despite watching his fortune swell from $113 billion to $179.9 billion over the past 12 months, during which millions of people endured economic hardship--Bezos "is currently engaged in an aggressive union-busting campaign against Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama to stop them from collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Sanders added.
The senator told the Post that "Bezos has become a symbol of the unfettered capitalism that we are living under right now, when the very, very rich are doing phenomenally well while ordinary working people are struggling to put food on the table."
Sanders has publicly supported Amazon warehouse workers in their unionization push since they first filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the organizing effort in Alabama a potential "shot heard around the world," as Common Dreams reported in November.
With the Amazon workers in Bessemer now in the midst of a seven-week mail-in election that will run through the end of March, Sanders again emphasized the significance of the union drive in Alabama.
"If they can win, I think that will send a message to workers all over this country that if you are prepared to stand up and fight, you can win a union, you can win better wages and better working conditions," Sanders told the Post.
Bates, for her part, toldDemocracy Now! in an interview last month that "the reason why we're organizing is because we need an even playing field."
"We want to be heard," she added. "We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues."
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.
LATEST NEWS
Poll Has AOC Leading Schumer by Nearly 20 Points in 2028 New York Primary
"What AOC is doing is leadership—and people see that," said one observer.
Apr 04, 2025
A poll released Friday from the progressive think tank Data for Progress has Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez besting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also a Democrat, by 19 points in a hypothetical matchup in the 2028 New York primary for a U.S. Senate seat.
According to the poll, which was was first shared exclusively with Politico, 55% of voters said they would cast a ballot for Ocasio-Cortez or leaned toward supporting her, and 36% said they would support Schumer or leaned toward supporting him, with 9% undecided.
The only subgroup that supported Schumer over Ocasio-Cortez were moderates, who favored Schumer 50%-35%, with 15% undecided. Ocasio-Cortez carried all other subgroups with an outright majority, except for voters over the age of 45, 49% of whom said they would support her or leaned toward supporting her.
The poll—while several years out from the actual race—comes in the wake of Schumer's decision to throw his support behind a Republican-backed spending bill in early March, a move that roiled his own party and prompted calls for him to step aside from his leadership position in the Senate.
The episode also sparked murmurs among some Democrats that Ocasio-Cortez should consider a primary bid against Schumer in 2028.
The poll was conducted March 26-31 and surveyed 767 likely Democratic primary voters in New York state. According to Data for Progress, the polling indicated that the hypothetical matchup between Ocasio-Cortez and Schumer is "relatively static" and does not shift when voters are offered more information about the respective candidates.
Ocasio-Cortez recently declined to speak about a potential run for Senate in 2028, according to Politico.
"Replacing Chuck Schumer with AOC would be an incredible upgrade. I guess we'll have to wait four more years…," wrote Bhaskar Sunkara, president of The Nation.
Zephyr Teachout, a professor at the Fordham University School of Law, shared Politico's reporting on the poll and wrote: "Good morning to leadership and fighting oligarchy!"
"What I mean is that what AOC is doing is leadership—and people see that," added Teachout, who also highlighted that the poll found that an overwhelming majority of respondents, 84%, want their leaders to do more to resist the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Another observer, market researcher Adam Carlson, highlighted that despite Schumer's loss in the hypothetical race, most respondent subgroups still view him favorably, according to the poll. Besides "very liberal" voters and those between ages 18-44, Schumer stands at over 50% "favorable" among all other subgroups surveyed.
"People just want a changing of the guard," said Carlson.
China Retaliates Against Trump 'Bullying' With 34% Tariffs on All US Goods
"Trade and tariff wars have no winners," said China's foreign ministry. "We urge the U.S. to stop doing the wrong thing."
Apr 04, 2025
The Chinese government on Friday responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs with 34% import duties on all American goods beginning next week, intensifying global blowback against the White House and accelerating a worldwide financial market tailspin.
China's tariffs on U.S. imports, which match the tariffs the Trump administration moved this week to impose on Chinese goods, are set to take effect on April 10. Trump's 34% tariffs on Chinese imports come on top of the 20% tariffs the U.S. president imposed earlier this year.
"The U.S. approach does not conform to international trade rules, seriously damages China's legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice," China's Ministry of Finance said in a Friday statement.
Additionally, China's Commerce Ministry announced immediate export restrictions on rare earth materials and "added 16 entities from the U.S., including High Point Aerotechnologies and Universal Logistics Holdings Inc., to its export control list," according to the state-run China Daily.
"Under the new rule," the outlet reported, "Chinese companies are prohibited from exporting dual-use items to these 16 U.S. entities. Any ongoing related export activities should be immediately halted, said the Ministry of Commerce."
Retaliatory tariffs from the world's second-largest economy mark the latest step in a global trade war launched by the Trump White House, which—despite warnings of disastrous impacts for working-class U.S. households and the broader economy—plowed ahead this week with a 10% universal tariff on imports and larger tariffs on a number of trading partners, including China.
Following Trump's official tariff announcement, Beijing condemned the duties as "unacceptable" and vowed to "take measures as necessary to firmly defend [China's] legitimate interests."
"Trade and tariff wars have no winners. Protectionism leads nowhere," said the spokesperson for China's foreign ministry on Thursday. "We urge the U.S. to stop doing the wrong thing, and resolve trade differences with China and other countries through consultation with equality, respect, and mutual benefit."
Other nations hit by Trump's tariffs are expected to respond in the coming days.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters Thursday that the E.U. was "already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel, and we are now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail."
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed that "we are going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures."
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Apr 04, 2025
A new analysis indicates Republicans' plan to extend soon-to-expire provisions of their party's 2017 tax law, as well as their push to tack on additional tax breaks largely benefiting the rich and big corporations, would cost $7 trillion over the next decade, a figure that a group of congressional Democrats called "staggering."
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The JCT's updated cost analysis came as President Donald Trump plowed ahead with what's been characterized as the biggest tax hike in U.S. history, one that will hit working-class Americans in the form of price increases on household staples and other goods.
Trump administration officials, not known for providing reliable numbers, have claimed the president's sweeping new tariffs could produce roughly $6 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade. The Trump tariffs have sent financial markets into a tailspin, heightened recession fears, and prompted swift retaliation from targeted nations, including China.
In an appearance on MSNBC on Thursday, Boyle—the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee—said Trump's tariffs represent "the single largest tax increase in American history."
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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the analysis was conducted by the Congressional Budget Office. It was conducted by the Joint Committee on Taxation.
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