US Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders on Thursday slammed Amazon and its chairman at a hearing on the company’s labor practices as he pushed the White House to end government contracts for the retailer.
“Amazon has done everything possible – legal and illegal – to defeat union organizing efforts,” Sanders said.
But the company won bipartisan support at the hearing, including from Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a state with a large Amazon presence.
“I don’t think Amazon is an organized criminal syndicate,” Kaine said, adding he backs efforts to make it easier for workers to unionize. “Amazon employs a million Americans – not everybody hates their jobs at Amazon.”
Sanders addressed Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos, who had been invited to testify but did not appear.
“Given all your wealth, how much do you need? Why are you doing everything in your power, including breaking the law, to deny Amazon workers the right to join a union so that they can negotiate for better wages, better working conditions and better benefits?” Sanders asked. “How much do you need?”
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