AOC launches blistering attack on Amazon, branding warehouse jobs 'scams'
Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has condemned certain jobs at technology giant Amazon as a "scam", saying they do not provide ample financial security for workers.
"A 'job' that leaves you homeless & on food stamps isn't a job. It's a scam," Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, said on Twitter on Friday.
The tweet was directed in response to an article from Bloomberg that reported over 4,000 Amazon warehouse employees are on food stamps and others being homeless.
The report claimed that the company is transforming the logistics industry from a career destination with the promise of middle-class wages into entry-level work.
“This is why “Amazon jobs” aren’t it & we should instead focus our public investments + incentives on small businesses, public infrastructure, & worker cooperatives that actually support dignified life,” Rep Ocasio Cortez continued.
The progressive congresswoman has lashed out at the company on a number of occasions regarding issues from its payment of corporate tax to its treatment of warehouse workers amid the pandemic.
In response to Bloomberg’s article, an Amazon spokesperson told the outlet that its “conclusion is false” and “violates over 50 years of economic thought, and suspends the law of supply and demand."
They added: “Hiring more, by paying less, simply does not work. Many of our employees join Amazon from other jobs in retail which tend to be predominantly part-time, reduced benefit jobs with substantially less than our $15 minimum wage.
“These employees see a big increase in pay per hour, total take-home pay, and overall benefits versus their previous jobs.
This is why “Amazon jobs” aren’t it & we should instead focus our public investments + incentives on small businesses, public infrastructure, & worker cooperatives that actually support dignified life.
A “job” that leaves you homeless & on food stamps isn’t a job. It’s a scam. https://t.co/l7fAew7UCl— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 18, 2020
“What surprises us is that we are the focus of a story like this when some of the country’s largest employers, including the largest retailer, have yet to join us in raising the minimum wage to $15," the company said.
At the onset of the pandemic, Amazon received intense scrutiny after a number of workers accused the company of failing to provide safe conditions for warehouse employees.
The company itself has seen its market value rocket across the year 2020, registering US$96bn (£72bn) in revenue for the third quarter of the year.
Amazon’s CEO Jess Bezos, saw his net worth exceed US$200bn (£148bn) in 2020 amid the pandemic and the online retailer's spike in sales.
This week, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said that it takes an Amazon warehouse worker over eight weeks, or 293 hours, to earn what Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a single second.
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