Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama got a surprise ally in US Senator Marco Rubio, with conservative lawmakers revealing on Friday that he supports their efforts to unite.
The Florida Republican Senator published an op-ed in USA Today accusing Amazon AMZN,
of waging “a war against the values of the working class” while expressing his support for the workers in Bessemer, Ala. who have been voting since February on whether or not to organize a distribution facility.
Rubio denounced the Seattle-based e-tailing giant and its billionaire boss, Jeff Bezos, for trying to appeal to conservatives’ traditional rejection of unions, even as they side with liberals on cultural issues.
“Companies like Amazon have been allies of the left in the culture war for decades,” he said. “But when their profits are threatened, they turn to conservatives to save them.”
Rubio similarly accused Amazon of using its weight to “crush small businesses” and banning conservative books from its website and traditional charities from participating in its AmazonSmile program.
Earlier this month, four members of Congress, including Rubio, wrote to Amazon about their attempt to snatch “ When Harry Became Sally: Reaction to the Transgender Moment, ” a book published in 2018 by conservative scholar Ryan T. Amazon’s website , Kindle store and Audible audiobook platform.
This week, Amazon defended its decision, saying it did so because the book views LGBTQ identity as a mental illness. Lawmakers had previously complained about the move, saying Amazon is only removing things that liberals find offensive.
In attacking Amazon’s labor practices, Rubio also recalled when he was a young boy walking past the picket line with his father, who was a hotel bartender in Las Vegas. Rubio said his experience instilled in him the idea that “all employees deserve respect” and that Amazon views its employees as “a tooth in a machine.”
In his pursuit of workers, Rubio joins President Biden, who earlier this month posted a video on his social media account expressing his support for the workers in Bessemer. Although the president did not specifically mention Amazon by name, he said they have the right to vote without interference from their employer.
In a statement, Amazon said Friday, “When Senator Rubio says Amazon is ‘waging war on working-class values,’ does he mean our $ 15 starting wage, extended benefits, or the paid parental leave we provide for hourly workers?” as he says he does, he should endorse Senator Sanders’ minimum wage today. ”
Amazon has launched a website – doitwithoutdues.com – to discourage its employees from organizing. One of the slogan on the site is “Vote now and vote no.”
The push to organize Amazon’s warehouse in Alabama is being led by the retail, wholesale and department store union. On Friday, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum welcomed Rubio’s support, saying it “shows that the best way for working people to achieve dignity and respect in the workplace is through unionization. This should not be a partisan issue. “
This article was first published on NYPost.com