The following statement can be atributed to Christy Hoffman UNI Global Union General Secretary:
“The passing of a Staten Island Amazon worker yesterday due to COVID19 should be a wake-up call for tech giant. Too many workers still feel that, in the middle of this terrifying pandemic, Amazon is not doing enough to keep them and their communities safe. When workers are willing to risk their jobs and go on strike because they are in harm’s way, management should listen to their concerns. Unfortunately, instead of rewarding the hard and often dangerous work of its warehouse employees, Amazon has fired those demanding that the company takes their health seriously and respects the protocols put in place to keep everyone safe.
As we hear more voices within Amazon asking to respect warehouse workers, UNI Global Union will continue to stand with the workers refusing to be silenced. Amazon management should address the substance of workers’ critiques rather than attempting to stifle their voices with threats and intimidation. This is a tragedy that should have never happened and must not happen again. No other families should have to mourn because of unsafe jobs.”
UNI Global Union represents more than 20 million workers from over 150 different countries in the fastest growing service sectors in the world. UNI and our affiliates in all regions are driven by the responsibility to ensure these jobs are decent and workers’ rights are protected, including the right to join a union and collective bargaining.
