Rep. AOC and Sen. Bernie Sanders speak at Amazon union rally in NYC

At a rally for the newly-unionized Amazon workers at the shipping giant’s JKF8 warehouse in Staten Island on Sunday, progressive democrat powerhouses Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders made speaking appearances in support of the worker’s union and encouraged another nearby Amazon warehouse to follow suit.

Amazon’s LDJ5 warehouse workers, also located in Staten Island, are preparing for their own vote on whether to unionize. The rally at JFK8 pushed for all Amazon workers to unionize in their own best interests. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young progressive Democrat from New York,  urged Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to formally recognize the workers’ unions. “We’ve got to recognize … that we have the first unionized Amazon in America right here in New York City,” she said.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders compelled workers at the LDJ5 warehouse to vote in favor of a union. “What this struggle is about, it’s not just Amazon Staten Island. This is the struggle that is taking place all across this country. Working people are sick and tired of falling further and further behind while billionaires like [Amazon founder Jeff] Bezos becomes much richer,” Sanders said to the crowd.

Sanders also pointed to poor working conditions and unfair labor practices. “I say to Jeff Bezos, who owns a $500 million yacht — I say, ‘Jeff, when you’re out on your yacht, I want you to think about the workers,’” Sanders said.

“They want housing that is affordable. They want to be able to put away a few bucks to send their kids to college,” he said. “They don’t want to be exploited and continue this massive turnover that takes place here because of the horrible working conditions.”

Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls said the support of notable politicians like AOC and Sanders is key to the success of Amazon workers’ unions.

“You have to have politician support. We have to have the community supporting us and today was a good example and a good start to that leading up to the election that takes place tomorrow. So we couldn’t have asked for anything better than to have Bernie and AOC show up today,” said Smalls.