NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined Amazon workers Sunday for a rally at the LDJ5 Amazon Sort Center on Staten Island, where staff will vote on whether or not to unionize on Monday.
The JFK8 Amazon Fulfillment Center on Staten Island became the first Amazon facility in the nation to unionize on April 1.
The independent Amazon Labor Union now faces its second major test at the sorting facility, where voting will take place from Monday to Thursday.
Sanders called on Amazon to improve wages, benefits and working conditions at its facilities and praised the union for its work.
“You are taking on one of the wealthiest guys in America worth $170 billion, and you beat them,” said Sanders. “What this struggle is about is not just Amazon Staten Island. This is the struggle that is taking place all across this country. Working people are sick and tired of falling further and further behind while billionaires like Bezos become much richer.”
Amazon is contesting the results of the JFK8 election, claiming the National Labor Review Board and union organizers suppressed turnout.
Amazon itself was forced to re-do an election in Bessemer, Alabama after the company used illegal tactics to interfere with the vote there, and organizers on Staten Island have accused the company of similar union-crushing tactics, according to Gothamist.
Ocasio-Cortez called on Amazon to recognize the union at JFK8.
“In Bessemer they changed the street lights. In Bessemer they messed with the post office,” said Ocasio-Cortez, referring to illegal steps Amazon took to disrupt voting. “They’ll recognize that loss, but when these workers win fair and square they refuse to recognize their victory.”
Christian Smalls, the president of the ALU, spoke on plans to expand the unionization effort.
“We gon’ travel the country. We gon’ go to Jeff Bezos’ mansions. We gon’ go to his penthouses. We gon’ go anywhere that’s necessary to advocate for workers rights,” said Smalls. “The workers are going to fight back and take over the country. This is a worker led movement, and I’m telling you now this is just the beginning.”
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