Bernie Sanders and AOC Are Rallying With Amazon Union Organizers.
There is hope in organizing, and progressive leaders know it.
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There is no denying that for those of us on the left, oftentimes it feels as though there isn’t much at all to feel optimistic or hopeful about. Whether it be issues related to electoral politics or the environment or healthcare, it feels like there’s battles to be waged on multiple fronts that just leave us feeling exhausted, frustrated, and hopeless. That being said, if there’s anything that has given me even the tiniest shred of hope for the future and the ability of people to put aside their differences and come together, it’s the push for labor organization unlike anything this country has seen in decades.
As we all know, the independent Amazon Labor Union recently made the push to organize a Staten Island Warehouse, take on one of the largest corporations in the entire world, and they won. Since then, dozens of warehouses across the country have reached out to them, and it’s impossible to shake the feeling that this is the start of something not only massive, but fundamentally necessary.
In the coming days, Bernie Sanders and AOC are going to do what they can to help bolster their movement.
Curtis Brodner with Audacy writes:
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will attend a rally on Staten Island this Sunday with workers from the JFK8 Amazon fulfillment center who recently formed the first Amazon union in the United States. The rally will take place at 11 a.m. at the fulfillment center.
“They took on one of the most powerful corporations in America and showed that workers are sick and tired of being exploited while corporate profits soar,” said Sanders in a press release.
…Christian Smalls, the President of the Amazon Labor Union and the principle organizer behind the union drive, was critical of Ocasio-Cortez when she failed to show up to an earlier rally. Despite the brief conflict, Ocasio-Cortez has spoken in favor of the unionization effort in the past and Smalls alluded to reconciliation when announcing her scheduled appearance at the coming rally.
“Solidarity is about accountability and second chances,”…