created a tightening labor market combined with high profits that created increased demand for labor and the ability to pay for it.

Let's give him a huge round for both of those! Why didn't he do it 20 years ago, though?

The tightening labor market is largely the result of 8 years of the Obama recovery. Bernie had a huge role in this though as he had been calling out Bezos non stop. Wage growth in the US is still slow and thanks to Trump inflation is now beating its growth. Any wage growth we have seen though is the result of the labor movement demanding a higher floor.

shouldn't we also credit all the other senators and congressmen who have been working on business, of course for some of them including Amazon, to raise wages?

Unlike Sanders. I can't find any of his pressure before late summer 2018, AFTER many businesses were already raising wages, labor crunch was occurring, and many more were expected. Where was his effort in 2017? Why wait until it was going to happen anyway to launch this "crusade"?

I shrugged before but am getting angry thinking about it. Besides rewarding grandstanding so outrageously, it's not only profoundly dishonest but demoralizing for people like this author to pretend that not only did the short- and long-term efforts of hundreds of others have no effect but don't even exist. A number of Democrats have good relationships with Bezos, which can hardly be said of Sanders, and we know what they say about honey and vinegar.

Hell...it's what these Corporations are SUPPOSED to be doing with that FAT 14% tax cut.

Awesome news!

that this includes all temps...

right?

which will boost his approval.

Last edited Tue Oct 2, 2018, 10:05 AM - Edit history (1)

many a long time employee who have "maxed out" the hourly rate and haven't had a raise in years, won't see a dime in a raise.

Make Amazon Give Away ( its profit)

Bitter about what?

My amusement at the writer's obvious mistake indicates bitterness?

Seriously? YGBSM! GMAFB!

....will you explain it please?

TIA.

Seems pretty self-explanatory.

There is much to be said through going through the process of figuring something out. "Give a man a fish..." and all that.

I'm quite sure you have the skills to cipher it out.

Though the steak is a little salty as well...

The new DNC rule will require this change if sanders runs in 2020

In addition, sanders will have to release tax returns to get on the ballot in several states

results should matter.

Tjat would be my guess anyways

Here are some quotes of his over the years....

1985:

...that wouldn't be the only factual error in the Business Insider article.

I guess I would believe that conclusion if Amazon tells us that Sanders threatened to stop selling his books and paraphernalia on Amazon's website.

Did that happen?

And credit is where it is due.

But really Amazon is going to own the entire planet.

And the jobs are going away.

For every productivity advancement Amazon makes they probably get rid of two jobs. They are automating everything.

Of course we won't hear calls for a basic income (or a negative income tax) because that's too commie.

Target by 2020
Walmart increased theirs recently, is looking at a further increase to $15

Plus several governments (Seattle, NYS, etc.) have announced increases to $15

Finally, it's in the 2016 Democratic Party Platform.

No one person or entity is responsible for any of this.

I just don't think we should dismiss Sanders' efforts even though his proposed law was asinine (punishing / shaming people on assistance).

Most major west coast cities already have local wage laws on the books, too, and their efforts shouldn't be dismissed because it's a locality-based thing.

Sanders does get too much credit though, which I understand where you're coming from.

Our state and local candidates are running on many of the planks of the CURRENT Democratic Party platform, not the least of which is our Democratic Party candidate for Governor, Ned Lamont. One of the things he's been campaigning for is a $15 minimum wage.

Here's a poster we waved at the State Convention back in May, see what's at the very top?

Aside from that, a number of municipalities and state governments have implemented rules/laws that have increased the minimum wage of employees within their jurisdiction, long before the so-called "Bezos" act was conceived.

NYS now has a law that went into effect almost two years, incrementally increasing the minimum wage in the state up to $15 an hour:

https://www.ny.gov/new-york-states-minimum-wage/new-york-states-minimum-wage

This affects hundreds of Amazon employees in New York State (and they're currently negotiating a new distribution center in the Albany area)

Seattle has increased their minimum wage for a number of businesses to $15 or more.

There are others who either have implemented increases or are planning to do so.

Both Target and Walmart have increased their minimum wage (Target already at $15, Walmart will follow). Amazon's decision is more a reaction to these developments than anything else.

Increasing the minimum wage isn't the brainchild of any particular person or even organization, it's a trend moving across the country.

was other politicians who did that. You would think Vermont would be leading the way, but, no.

So it could be because of Sanders.

Link to tweet

recognize the hard work and beauty of all these people, please! The movement!!!!!!

Fight For 15Verified account
@fightfor15

International movement of underpaid workers taking a stand against poverty wages. We are winning, join us.

https://twitter.com/fightfor15

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

This is just kicking the can down the road.

Basic income is necessary.

Workers/labors rights and he would rather short cut that as best he can for now by throwing money at it. Yesterday the Guardian had a great article on how his ownership is having a terrible impact on Whole Foods. The workers are looking at forming a union. To a guy like Bezos that could become a scary adversary. Right now he can control the bleeding, or so he thinks.

This is a PR move because when he winds up firing / relocating every Whole Foods employee to have his vision of a nearly fully automated store, it'll soften the blow. "But everyone gets $15! That's twice minimum wage!"

Nevermind to keep up with inflation the minimum wage needs to be $20 or more (one thing I didn't like about the $15 figure).

is so critical. Have you seen the insane view of Trump recently on climate change? Its getting hotter but don't bother to address it, too late! They are so blinded by their greed they seem to believe they and their children can be sheltered from it. California and Arizona are expected to get unprecedented rain this week, just to name two alarming forecasts.

It's only a matter of time. If they don't someone else will make it. It's just the only economically feasible and desirable thing.

On one hand I think it is a good thing, because I don't think workers should be on their feet 8 hours a day making food for people, but on the other hand that's a lot of jobs that are just going to be gone. Gone. Forever.

It's scary.

Climate change is just the tip of the iceberg. The Colorado River is undergoing a massive decline as the watershed is being depleted. AZ, NV, and CA are all going to be screwed (there's a recent post in Environment and Energy about Lake Mead entering a new norm where it's 36% under its normal level).

Automation can increase aggregate wealth, providing the economic foundation for basic income. Basic income would create social stability. I think that, as time goes on, the political interests of some large corporations and "small business" will increasingly diverge on this and other matters.

But the air will be clean.

Amazon and a few other companies will dominate the world's production. They could give out a stipend to people living in their factory cities, etc. Talking 50+ years here.

Thank you for posting that!

As I recall, Sen. Sanders caught a lot of flack from certain people over his comments on Amazon.

Perhaps this is (further) proof those people don't know what the eff they're talking about.

they actually said or if you refuse to accept what they said. It had to do with the hypocrisy of calling out Amazon while still utilizing their services himself. His books are on Amazon and he sells and profits from his affiliation with Amazon. This is not difficult to remember.

edit; it wasn't "over his comments on Amazon" LOL

I remember perfectly well, thanks. No need to take my word for it though, because a quick look at past threads on this topic will show quite conclusively who it is that's misremembering. Spoiler: It's not me.

and you substituted your version of lame personal insults in place of the hypocrisy noted of complaining about Amazon but still using them for personal benefit. Either misremembering or deliberately distorting was a fail.

edit: here's the link to Bernie's book on AMAZON
https://www.amazon.com/Bernie-Sanders-Guide-Political-Revolution/dp/1250138906/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FJ7PM3C009R9S2B84GK1

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

It's been big news in the WFM universe and I suspect they would do anything to quell the anger of workers who are stretched super thin, doing the jobs of 3 or 4 different people with less hours. Not to mention all the bad press of Amazon workers having to wear diapers because they can't even get bathroom breaks.

Just my opinion, though.

See their complaints here:
https://www.thelayoff.com/amazon-com
https://www.thelayoff.com/whole-foods-market