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Democratic Senators Condemn Amazon Over 'Intolerable' Warehouse Conditions And 'Dismal' Safety Records
12 February
Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images
A group of United States Senators sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos taking exception with working conditions for the online giant's employees.
The 15 Senators include six current and former presidential candidates.
<p>The letter addresses investigative journalism's efforts by <em>The Atlantic</em> and <em>Reveal from the Center for investigative Reporting</em> which found high rates of worker injuries. They cited the company's quota policies as driving workers to take safety shortcuts to meet company demands.</p>
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</p><div id="92c14" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="A3PS781581545129"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1224997910468796418" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse https://t.co/pfIgNePwPs</div> — The Guardian (@The Guardian)<a href="https://twitter.com/guardian/statuses/1224997910468796418">1580897235.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p>The Senators also cited the company's accounting for employee time down to monitoring bathroom breaks and requiring employees to "clock out" to use the restroom.<br></p><p><div id="c7da91bc-8e44-492f-b7fd-c382c0e55bda"></div></p><p><strong>The group wrote:</strong></p><blockquote><em>"Any practice that puts profits before worker safety is unacceptable."</em></blockquote><p>Among those signing it were California Senator Kamala Harris, New Jersey's Cory Booker, New York's Kirsten Gillibrand, Maryland's Chris Van Hollen, Hawaii's Mazie Hirono, Oregon's Jeff Merkley, Massachusetts' Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Vermont's Bernie Sanders, Minnesota's Tina Smith, Illinois' Dick Durbin, Ohio's Sherrod Brown and Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin.</p>
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</p><div id="cb0af" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GHH2Z01581545129"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227003593309511680" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">In a letter sent Friday, US senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker called on Ama… https://t.co/iBNR3SlS41</div> — Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org (@Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org)<a href="https://twitter.com/froomkin/statuses/1227003593309511680">1581375427.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="e01ec" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0O1MS21581545129"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1226941718261641216" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Amazon has long cultivated a profit-at-all-costs culture at the expense of workers. @SenatorBaldwin, @SenSanders an… https://t.co/1koAelx1lC</div> — Sherrod Brown (@Sherrod Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/statuses/1226941718261641216">1581360675.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="8c9f1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="J3L2KW1581545130"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227008382667763713" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world and Amazon is worth more than a trillion dollars.
Workers there should… https://t.co/WlZvxs7Z6Q</div> — Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statuses/1227008382667763713">1581376569.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p><strong>In response, Amazon's PR head Jay Carney did an OpEd for <em>The New York Times</em>.</strong><br></p><p><strong>But almost immediately it got fact-checked.</strong></p>
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</p><div id="a3054" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="K364O41581545130"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1226999026765033472" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Funny how @JayCarney's op-ed on Bernie Sanders praising @Amazon for being so great to workers in 2018 came out jus… https://t.co/8gOspwLY02</div> — Ken Bensinger (@Ken Bensinger)<a href="https://twitter.com/kenbensinger/statuses/1226999026765033472">1581374339.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p><strong>Public opinion seems to be firmly on the workers' side however.</strong></p>
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</p><div id="18d22" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2LHBKB1581545130"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227000812204740608" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@JayCarney @amazon @BernieSanders @JeffBezos @RMac18 Also funny how @JayCarney brags about the company's mandatory… https://t.co/mZ96YD2YWG</div> — Ken Bensinger (@Ken Bensinger)<a href="https://twitter.com/kenbensinger/statuses/1227000812204740608">1581374764.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="58ad4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5W8FWL1581545130"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227001613648162816" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@JayCarney @amazon @BernieSanders @JeffBezos @RMac18 receipts:
https://t.co/Io1XxOr6QT
https://t.co/yHuju7Rjom
https://t.co/edPpbMaGH8</div> — Ken Bensinger (@Ken Bensinger)<a href="https://twitter.com/kenbensinger/statuses/1227001613648162816">1581374955.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="68d04" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X4TUR91581545130"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227647689438978049" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Your_green_hat @hailmothman @TruthIsMySword @anarchowinesnob @prageru Bezos (and every other billionaire) got thei… https://t.co/pPKq46H6iu</div> — imvessel (@imvessel)<a href="https://twitter.com/im_vessel/statuses/1227647689438978049">1581528992.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p><strong>Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is either the richest or second richest person in the world, depending on your source. </strong></p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p><strong>Some sources claim Bernard Arnault of luxury brands LVMH (Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy) surpa</strong><strong>ssed Bezos in January.</strong><br></p>
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</p><div id="3dce0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KWY7RA1581545130"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225970839465668609" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🤔
Amazon workers pay more taxes than their boss.
America is collapsing for good reason. https://t.co/d3XjSWbtTU</div> — Janis Sexton (@Janis Sexton)<a href="https://twitter.com/Ez4u2say_Janis/statuses/1225970839465668609">1581129200.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p>For many, Bezos' own wealth makes the poor working conditions of the employees who helped make and maintain his fortune an especially difficult pill to swallow.<br></p>
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