Cori Bush: Exploited Workers
on Wednesday, May 19, 2021
“Jeff Bezos is worth $182 billion and the fact that he chooses to do everything within his power to keep the 5,800 predominantly Black workers in Alabama from unionizing for humane working conditions proves that he knows he didn’t earn his fortune. He exploited workers for it” — Cori Bush
In this quote, Congresswoman Cori Bush is strongly criticizing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos regarding efforts to prevent workers at an Alabama warehouse from forming a union. She suggests Bezos’ vast $182 billion fortune could not have been fairly earned without exploiting the labor of thousands of employees, predominantly Black, who toil in difficult conditions without protections or bargaining power.
Bush implies Amazon’s anti-union campaign shows Bezos knows deep down that immense wealth accumulation on the backs of a vulnerable workforce without their meaningful consent is unjust. Overall, the quote portrays Bush’s view that immense individual fortunes often depend on systemic inequality and lack of worker agency, which unions aim to remedy through collective bargaining.
Jeff Bezos is worth $182 billion and the fact that he chooses to do everything within his power to keep the 5,800 predominantly Black workers in Alabama from unionizing for humane working conditions proves that he knows he didn't earn his fortune. He exploited workers for it.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 19, 2021