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Prime Day is back, as are the protests.
The Congress of Essential Workers, an activist group led by current and former employees of the Amazon warehouse, plans to march against the e-commerce giant outside CEO Jeff Bezos' mansion in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday. The demonstration was scheduled shortly before Prime DayThe group brings together organizations representing both climate and labor issues, including Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion, to raise concerns about Amazon's business practices and warehouse working conditions.
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"Employees are not treated fairly and have to work overtime and not take breaks for the next two months in December," said Jordan Flowers, an outspoken Amazon employee from the Staten Island warehouse, who heads the work group in an interview Friday.
Amid a long list of demands, the group is calling for a new federal wealth tax to help urban communities, a minimum wage of $ 30, and a hazard payment for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon's current minimum wage is $ 15, which is above the $ 7.25 minimum wage. The benefits package is often discussed, which includes health insurance, retirement provision and up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave.
The group also called for workers' right to unionize "without fear of retaliation", an indication of Amazon's anti-union reputation. No US Amazon workers are unionized.
Amazon did not comment on this story. Masks are mandatory for anyone planning to attend the 2pm PT event.
Although Prime Day has become an opportunity for Amazon to showcase its membership benefits and sell millions of products, selling has also become a platform for anti-company activism. Anti-Amazon demonstrations are held regularly during the event Holiday season. Last year, Prime Day Demonstrations took place in Minnesota, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and across Europe, with groups speaking on topics ranging from climate change to Amazon's working conditions to the company's relationships with U.S. immigration and customs control.
"Cancel your Prime membership, order less on Prime Day week and give us time to prepare for it as the peak season is hectic," Flowers said in a plea to Amazon customers, referring to the Christmas business season. "We do 50 or 60 hours a week with a day or two off."
He said he was still an active employee at the company, despite not having come to his camp since February and being on unpaid leave because he had lupus, an autoimmune disease that made him more prone to serious health problems when he did contract the novel coronavirus. Flowers added that Amazon had shown no concern about his health problems and that he was currently suffering from government unemployment.
The flower group is also led by Christian Smalls, an Amazon worker who gained prominence after being fired for organizing a protest in March to raise coronavirus health concerns at the Staten Island warehouse. According to Amazon, Smalls was terminated for violating a company-mandated quarantine order.
The Sunday march in front of Bezos' villa is intended to clearly highlight the wealth gap between warehouse workers and their boss - the richest person in the world, whose net worth rose to $ 185 billion during the coronavirus. The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Bezos bought his 9-acre Beverly Hills residence from media mogul David Geffen for $ 165 million, a new record for the Los Angeles area.
Bezos has put a lot of effort into showing that he is giving back and has already pledged $ 10 billion Climate change and $ 2 billion for homeless families and education.
The protest comes just a few days later Amazon announced that nearly 20,000 of its employees have contracted coronavirus this year. The company has implemented a number of security protocols to protect its warehouse workers, including tests, temperature checks and regular facility cleaning.
