Courage California has been working to stop Amazon's abuses for years, and
we are standing behind the Amazon drivers in their fight in Palmdale. The
email below is from one of the drivers, a mom named Cecilia.
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Dear Friend,
When I took a job as a contract Amazon driver in Palmdale, California, I
thought I would have the opportunity to build a better future for my
family.
Instead, I found myself trying to make more than 160 deliveries a day in
sweltering heat, with no breaks, inside a van that often has no air
conditioning and reaches 135 degrees.
And when we asked for water, regular breaks, and a living wage, Amazon
threatened to cancel our contract for “poor performance."
That’s why 83 of my fellow delivery drivers and I are going on strike --
we are simply demanding dignity and safe conditions from one of the
richest companies in the world. But while we strike, we go without pay,
which is why the Working Families Party has generously set up a fund to
support us and our families, who rely on our incomes while we fight.
[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to the workers fund and help support us while we fight
Amazon? 100% of your donation will go to the Amazon Driver Worker
Solidarity Fund.
When you order a package from Amazon, two days later an Amazon truck pulls
up to your driveway. A driver wearing an Amazon hat and an Amazon shirt
jumps out to run your Amazon-stamped box right up to your front door.
But did you know that driver doesn’t technically work for Amazon?
In order to line its pockets, Amazon outsources its deliveries to more
than 2,500 companies across the country so that the multibillion-dollar
corporation doesn’t have to pay for benefits, sick leave, or fair hourly
wages. But even though the drivers are contracted, it’s a technicality --
the corporation still determines what hours are worked, how many packages
to deliver, what vans to drive, and basically every other working
condition the drivers have.(1)
Amazon uses its monopoly hold on the industry to squeeze delivery
companies more and more, and the drivers pay the price. We have to drive
Amazon vans, which the corporation refuses to keep in good repair. We make
less than $20 an hour in one of the most expensive areas of the state, and
as we get no benefits, we have to pay out of pocket for services like my
own son’s therapy. I can’t make ends meet no matter how many hours I work.
Worse, because Amazon keeps raising the required number of packages to
deliver, I’ve given up all of my breaks and navigate dangerous driving
conditions to meet my quota. I constantly worry I’ll have an accident from
being overtired. And Amazon even rationed the number of water bottles they
provide us!
I know that you rely on Amazon to deliver packages on time, and I want to
be able to safely provide that service to you. I also want to be able to
provide a living for my family. These should be basic requirements of any
company, never mind one with profits in the hundreds of billions, like
Amazon. We need to keep this strike going until Amazon changes its
practices -- but we can't sustain a strike without your help.
[ [link removed] ]Please help me and my fellow Amazon drivers keep up our fight. 100% of
your donation will go to the [ [link removed] ]Amazon Driver Worker Solidarity Fund[ [link removed] ].
Thanks for your critical support.
–Cecilia
[ [link removed] ]SUPPORT THE WORKERS
Footnote:
1.
[link removed]
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Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.
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