Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Tuesday that Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ decision Tuesday to raise the wages of all of its workers to at least $15 an hour could be a major tipping point in the fight over the minimum wage.
“What Mr. Bezos has done today is not only enormously important for Amazon’s hundreds of thousands of employees, it could well be a shot heard around the world. I urge corporate leaders around the country to follow Mr. Bezos’ lead,” Sanders tweeted.
What Mr. Bezos has done today is not only enormously important for Amazon’s hundreds of thousands of employees, it could well be a shot heard around the world. I urge corporate leaders around the country to follow Mr. Bezos’ lead. https://t.co/06wIAHunPq
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 2, 2018
Sanders has long argued for a higher minimum wage, and has been one of Amazon’s most persistent critics. In August, he sought testimonials from Amazon employees about low pay and poor working conditions at its facilities, and said research showed that Amazon’s median employee pay was $28,446 annually, 9 percent less than the industry average.
He introduced legislation in September dubbed the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act, or the “Stop BEZOS Act,” that would tax large employers whose workers received federal subsidies such as Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., sponsored the House version of the bill said it forced Bezos to listen. “@BernieSanders & I introduced the Bezos Act a month ago asking billion dollar companies to pay for their employees’ public benefits. We urged Mr. Bezos to raise wages to $15. The beltway economists crucified us. But Mr. Bezos listened. Today thousands of workers are better off,” Khanna said on Twitter.
[Also read: Jeff Bezos launches $2 billion fund to help homeless families, children]
