[A]mazon CEO Jeff Bezos went from being a symbol of corporate greed to a model of responsible leadership in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign to raise the minimum wage after the internet giant announced Tuesday that employees will be paid at least $15 an hour.
“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,” Sanders tweeted. “I urge corporate leaders around the country to follow Mr. Bezos’ lead.”
In a video on his Facebook page, Sanders pointed to McDonald’s and Walmart as major employers who should follow in Amazon’s footsteps. He also thanked the Fight for $15 organization for its leadership on the issue.
Amazon’s $15 wage will also apply to seasonal and part-time workers, according to a statement from the company, which said 250,000 year-round employees and 100,000 seasonal holiday employees will be impacted.
Business analysts have noted that Amazon’s decision comes as it is preparing to compete with the likes of Walmart and Target for holiday workers. It also comes as employees at Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, are agitating to unionize.
However, Sanders made no qualifications in his congratulations of Bezos on Tuesday, nor any mention of the fact that Amazon remains opposed to unionization efforts.
I want to congratulate Jeff Bezos for doing exactly the right thing by raising the minimum wage at Amazon and Whole Foods to $15 an hour.
Let me thank the hundreds of Amazon workers who contacted my office and the Fight for $15 movement, which has been leading this effort.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 2, 2018
Amazon also said it would start advocating for an increase to the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 an hour.
“We intend to advocate for a minimum wage increase that will have a profound impact on the lives of tens of millions of people and families across this country,” said Jay Carney, a vice president and spokesperson for Amazon.
The importance of Amazon’s minimum wage extends beyond those directly employed by the company, economists have shown. The Economist magazine found that average warehouse wages in Kentucky’s Lexington County, for example, fell from $47,000 to $32,000 after Amazon set up shop there. Similar, though less drastic, declines occurred in Chesterfield, Virginia, and Tracy, California.
Sanders announced plans in late August to introduce what was being called the “Bezos bill,” which would require large employers like Amazon and Walmart the choice to either pay workers a higher wage or to pay taxes equal to the total cost of federal assistance programs their workers use.
That legislation was introduced along with Ro Khanna, a U.S. representative from California, who also took to Twitter Tuesday to celebrate Amazon’s decision.
“The beltway economists crucified us,” Khanna said of the bill. “But Mr. Bezos listened. Today thousands of workers are better off.”
.@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. https://t.co/G4E4HA3wU8
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) October 2, 2018
James Haslam, executive director of Rights & Democracy, a Vermont advocacy group, said that while Amazon does not have operations in Vermont, the decision “absolutely has a ripple effect on other industries” in the state, such as the service, fast food and hospitals.
A bill to gradually raise Vermont’s minimum wage to $15 was passed in the Legislature last year, but vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott, largely over concerns that it would increase the cost of doing business in the state and overburden entrepreneurs.
“We are working and our partners are working with legislators and small businesses to figure out, in the next version of any legislation, how to best support small businesses to make sure that it succeeds,” Haslam said.
Christine Hallquist, Scott’s Democratic challenger in November’s election, rallied with other Democratic leaders in Montpelier on Tuesday pledging a renewed push for the minimum wage bill in next year’s legislative session.
“There’s obviously a lot of momentum,” Haslam said.
