Amazon: Prime Day Is Exploited By Unions
Credit to Author: Caroline Haskins| Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2019 15:40:12 +0000
Amazon said in an email statement to Motherboard that Prime Day is exploited by “unions” and “critics” as an opportunity to spread “awareness for their cause.”
The statement was in response to Amazon customers’ announcements that they would be boycotting Prime Day to show solidarity with warehouse workers staging a walkout in Minnesota, and to oppose the company’s $15 minimum wage, working conditions in warehouses, and working conditions abroad for Amazon products like Kindles.
“Events like Prime Day have become an opportunity for our critics, including unions, to raise awareness for their cause, in this case, increased membership dues. These groups are conjuring misinformation to work in their favor, when in fact we already offer the things they purport to be their cause—industry leading pay of $15 per hour, benefits, and a safe workplace for our employees,” the company said. “We can only conclude that the people who plan to attend the event on Monday are simply not informed. If these groups—unions and the politicians they rally to their cause—really want to help the American worker, we encourage them to focus their energy on passing legislation for an increase in the federal minimum wage, because $7.25 is too low.”
Amazon is notoriously against unionizing efforts. A 45-minute video leaked with Gizmodo in 2018 shows that Amazon inducts new employees with anti-union propaganda.
“We do not believe unions are in the best interest of our customers, our shareholders, or most importantly, our associates,” the video said, according to Gizmodo. “Our business model is built upon speed, innovation, and customer obsession—things that are generally not associated with union. When we lose sight of those critical focus areas we jeopardize everyone’s job security: yours, mine, and the associates.”
This article originally appeared on VICE US.