Amazon has issued an apology for a pair of tweets from its corporate news account attacking Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) for criticizing the company’s workplace environment amid a big unionization push at a fulfillment center in Alabama.
“This was an own-goal, we’re unhappy about it, and we owe an apology to Representative Pocan,” Amazon said in a statement Friday.
Pocan responded Saturday morning.
“Sigh. This is not about me, this is about your workers ― who you don’t treat with enough respect or dignity,” he wrote.
Amazon has been fighting a union drive at a Bessemer, Alabama, facility that threatens to give unionization efforts a boost elsewhere across the country. The company raised eyebrows last week for a series of uncharacteristically snotty responses to politicians who were tweeting about its workers and business practices.
It was a strategy that reportedly came from the very top ― Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wanted his corporate communications team to respond more aggressively against charges of unfair labor practices, according to Recode.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), among others, has voiced strong support for Amazon workers’ push for better conditions. Last Wednesday, Amazon executive Dave Clark snarkily welcomed the senator to the Alabama facility in a tweet sarcastically thanking him for his work on behalf of American workers.
“I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace,” Clark said.
It was Pocan who jumped in to respond to Clark. “Paying workers $15/hr doesn’t make you a ‘progressive workplace’ when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles,” he tweeted.
Amazon News, a corporate Amazon Twitter account, responded to Pocan in a tone similar to Clark’s.
“You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us,” the tweet read.
It is, in fact, well-documented that Amazon workers are subject to strict and physically demanding protocols. Some workers say they sometimes take extreme measures to avoid stopping their work, because too much “time off task,” as Amazon calls breaks, can result in discipline.
It is less common for Amazon’s warehouse workers to take bathroom shortcuts, however, than it is for delivery drivers, who have difficulty finding public restrooms ― especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
In its Friday statement, Amazon acknowledged that the tweet was wrong.
“It did not contemplate our large driver population and instead wrongly focused only on our fulfillment centers,” the company explained, saying it is aware that delivery drivers struggle to find restrooms and pledging to help find a solution to the “industry-wide” problem.
Amazon then differentiated its drivers from its fulfillment center workers.
“A typical Amazon fulfillment center has dozens of restrooms, and employees are able to step away from their work station at any time. If any employee in a fulfillment center has a different experience, we encourage them to speak to their manager and we’ll work to fix it.”
Amazon’s apology to Pocan was published late on Friday, which could be interpreted as an effort to put it out quietly. The company also remained mum on Amazon News’ other tweets targeting Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has also proven herself one of Amazon’s loudest critics in Congress.
Amazon workers have already voted on the unionization question, but their ballots are still being counted, according to AL.com. Nearly 6,000 ballots were sent out. Results are expected in the next week.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified Mark Pocan as a California representative. He represents Wisconsin.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.