Listen—we know Amazon and Jeff Bezos are comically evil at this point. From the scary time those really robotic tweets supporting Amazon were coming out to the horrible mishaps that just kinda happen to the lack of ethics behind hording wealth that should be stimulating an already broken, shambling economy, we’ve seen it time and time again. And we tend to forget about it because we get used to worse stuff.
Let this week be a reminder to break out of that cycle.
Over the past month, the workers of an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama have been voting on unionizing. Some sources say the voting has concluded while others suggest it’s still in progress, so for our purposes we’ll consider the voting in progress until we see final results. Unionizing, if successful, would make them the first Amazon warehouse to unionize! Specifically, they’re looking to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, or RWDSU.
The beautiful thing about this is it hasn’t gone under the radar, we’re far from the first to talk about this. Frankly the entire country is talking about it! #BoycottAmazon is trending on Twitter and other social media—primarily from a consumer led movement. A Mashable article from Tim Marcin says, “It’s important to note, though, that this call for action isn’t coming from inside the union. An RWDSU spokesperson confirmed as much to Mashable in a Sunday phone call. Boycott or not, this ongoing vote and the efforts to make it happen represent a critically important moment for union activists. Should the Bessemer’s unionization effort prove successful, other Amazon workers could follow suit.”
Representative Andy Levin of Detroit, Michigan told the workers of this warehouse, “This is the most important election for the working class of this country in the 21st century. This is the biggest election in the South in a generation.”
Amazon’s reaction to this has been attempted union busting. They have a history of fighting Union activity, in fact when I searched for their response I found a CNBC Article by Katie Schoolov about an instance back in August of 2019 where Amazon took SEVERAL moves to block unionization, which included integrating anti-union messages in their employee training videos. As such, it’s little surprise that Amazon is reacting similarly, to the point that it’s been reported that Amazon may have tampered with traffic light timing. From the Verge, Russell Brandom: “Union organizers at the site had previously accused the company of altering the timing so that pro-union workers would not be able to canvass workers while stopped at the light.
Until recently, the altered timing on the traffic light outside the factory had been dismissed as a rumor. But More Perfect Union confirmed with Jefferson County officials that last year, Amazon notified the county of traffic delays during shift changes and asked for the light to be changed. On December 15th, the county increased the green light duration in an effort to clear workers off the worksite faster. There’s no indication that the county was aware of the ongoing organizing drive or any effect the traffic light changes might have on the effort.”
Of course, while this could be all chalked up to heresy and coincidence, it’s harder to look at it that way when considering their regular habits include very direct measures inside these warehouses. Noting, again, the training video incident, it’s reported further in that same article: “Amazon has vigorously contested the effort, posting anti-unionization flyers throughout the factory, most noticeably in the bathroom. In advance of the official vote, workers also received a flood from Amazon warning of potentially negative consequences from unionization.”
Even uh, more grossly, I saw that Amazon was suddenly broadcasting this.
Yes, yes it’s great to celebrate Black women-owned businesses Amazon, but dropping this in the middle of a boycott is clearly a guilt tactic used to make consumers feel uneasy about how they’re seen to others. Because you’re not doing that so much through Amazon, you’re still buying through Amazon. The business likely has their own shop on another platform as well you could just as easily go to without tossing more of your cash into Bezos’s Bezhole.
So, look—don’t use Amazon this week. And frankly? If you can, try not to use it. A friend of mine once taught me how to search for items I want on Amazon, viewing the manufacturer, and then finding that item either from the manufacturer or a different shop they work for. Oftentimes cheaper.
Jeff Bezos is a pit where money just evaporates, and sure, you can order some staples and Sanrio stickers and an inflatable boat in like two days, but it’s because we’ve given a lot of money to some rich cold sore on humanity, and now he’s just some rich guy who pays a poor person too little to do the thing for him that he still gets the praise for.
Don’t use Amazon this week. Remember: Capitalism is rough, but we are all its victims—we can buy our material goods from other stalls. Try Etsy instead.
