Bernie Sanders probes Amazon warehouse safety.

Sen. Bernie Sanders Launches Investigation into Amazon’s Labor Practices

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is calling on current and former Amazon workers to step forward as whistleblowers as he launches an investigation into long-standing concerns over warehouse conditions. As the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sanders will lead the investigation into the nation’s second-largest employer.

In a 10-page letter to Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy, Sanders announced the investigation into the company’s labor practices, which have faced scrutiny from the Biden administration due to safety concerns at warehouses.

“The company’s quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year,” Sanders wrote in the letter to Jassy. “Amazon is one of the most valuable companies in the world worth $1.3 trillion and its founder, Jeff Bezos, is one of the richest men in the world worth nearly $150 billion. Amazon should be one of the safest places in America to work, not one of the most dangerous.”

Sanders emphasized the need for Amazon to prioritize the health and safety of its workers, stating, “The time has come for Amazon to stop willfully violating workplace safety laws with impunity and commit to changing its operations.”

The HELP Committee, chaired by Sanders, has also launched a website to assist whistleblowers in contacting his team. The site encourages current or former workers, supervisors, medical staff, or anyone else in Amazon’s warehouses to share their experiences to help inform the investigation.

Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly responded to Sanders’s assertions, stating, “We take the safety and health of our employees very seriously. There will always be ways to improve, but we’re proud of the progress we’ve made which includes a 23% reduction in recordable injuries across our U.S. operations since 2019.”

Kelly also extended an invitation to Sanders to tour some of the company’s facilities. When asked if he would call on Jassy or Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to testify, Sanders replied, “That’s an absolute possibility.”

In a previous hearing, Sanders’s HELP Committee targeted former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz over accusations of union-busting. Schultz testified under threat of subpoena, and both he and the company denied the allegations.