The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
June 5, 2023

Amazon Fires Leader of Union Organizing Drive in Bessemer, Alabama
------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon on Friday abruptly fired union organizer Jennifer Bates, who's
been a leading spokesperson of the unionization campaign by warehouse
workers in Bessemer, Alabama. Bates often spoke out against Amazon's
workplace safety issues and its attacks on union efforts, including in
Congress and on Democracy Now! in 2021.

Jennifer Bates: "The reason why we're organizing is because we need an
even playing field. Some of the conditions that are in there are: being
ignored by human resources, long work hours with only two breaks, long
walks upstairs and downstairs. … So, we want to be heard. We want to be
treated like people and not ignored when we have issues. People are
getting fired without having their opportunity to speak their side."



.