Amid high-stakes union vote, Bernie Sanders to visit Bessemer Amazon plant

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Beth Cann
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In this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, file photo, Michael Foster of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union holds a sign outside an Amazon facility where labor is trying to organize workers in Bessemer, Ala. When Amazon found out that workers were trying to form a union, a worker said Wednesday, March 17, that the company put up signs across the warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., including in bathroom stalls. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves, File)

Senator Bernie Sanders is planning to visit the Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama, this Friday. Sanders will join Michael “Killer Mike” Render and Danny Glover to visit with Amazon workers trying to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Actor Danny Glover visited the center last month as well, according to Al.com. The RWDSU is a union organization with over 80 years of history. They’ve successfully helped unionize major retailers like H&M, Zara, and Macy’s.

The Bessemer Alabama facility is coming close to creating a union at Amazon, a feat that hasn’t been attempted since 2014 when a much smaller group of workers in Delaware attempted to unionize. The attempt ultimately failed. 

Sanders has been publicly supportive of the efforts in Bessemer. During a hearing of the Senate Budget Committee hearing, Sanders said he planned on asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, “You are worth $182 billion, that’s billion with a B. You’re the wealthiest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Ala., from joining a union so they can negotiate for better wages, better benefits, and better working conditions?”

In February, Sanders showed his support by sending pizzas to a union rally, Al.com reported. Sanders tweeted out his support for the Amazon workers in Bessemer, stating, “I stand in solidarity with Amazon workers in Alabama who are today beginning to vote in a historic union election. If they win, it will not only improve wages and working conditions in Bessemer, but it will also send a shockwave around the country.” 

 
 

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