In 2020, Amazon opened a new warehouse in Bessemer, AL. Jennifer Bates believed the warehouse would bring economic growth to the city and got a job there would give her more time to spend with her grandchildren according to CNN. A year later Bates, had no clue she’d end up testifying to Congress about her experience working for the e-commerce giant.
Bates started working at the e-commerce giant after it opened but instead of finding competitive pay and flexible schedule, all she found was backbreaking work 10-hour shifts that included walking across a warehouse the size of 14 football fields. Bates considered leaving the job but instead decided to stay to fight for better conditions. This decision put Bates in the national spotlight as one of the main figures in a push to unionize the warehouse.
“Working 10 hours at the pace that they push you to go, the time off is either going to the doctor for something, soaking, resting, taking it easy on your days off,” Bates told CNN in an interview. “Why couldn’t I stand still and have an opportunity to fix something that was broken?”
With the union effort extended into 2021, Bates became more important to the effort and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) invited her to testify via Zoom before the Senate Budget Committee. Bates wasted no time calling out Amazon for its treatment of employees.
“Amazon brags it pays workers above the minimum wage, what they don’t tell you is what those jobs are really like,” Bates said. “and they certainly don’t tell you that they can afford to do much better for the workers. Working at Amazon is not an easy thing. The shifts are long, the pace is super fast, and they seem to think you are another machine.”
Bates says after her third day she was physically hurting from the work. She later found out she wasn’t the only one. When she brought her concerns to her sister, who’s also an Amazon employee, her sister told Bates it’s only going to get worse. At the time, Amazon pushed back on Bates’ allegations saying, while they take her words seriously, but it didn’t reflect the views of the majority of their employees.
The union vote took place by mail due to the pandemic was voted down, however, many believe Amazon engaged in shady behavior. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union is appealing the vote claiming misconduct and intimidation by Amazon according to Bloomberg.
As of now, Bates is still working at the warehouse and organizing a union effort. However, she’s worried about what may happen to her job going forward. The day after Bates testified, a manager informed her she was stripped of her ambassadorship. Bates told CNN, Amazon employees seemed “frightened” to talk to her.
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