Dear,

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Amazon is offering bonuses to fill 1,500 jobs in its new California
warehouse in Mira Loma.(1)

But Amazon is still not protecting its warehouse workers. The California
Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) just this month
levied fines on two warehouses in California, with more to come.(2)

This holiday season, we are sending Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos a message: Treat
your workers better, or lose our money. We’re boycotting Amazon for
Christmas, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and we’re asking
everyone to join us to #BlackOutBezos.

[ [link removed] ]Will you sign our pledge to #BlackOutBezos this holiday season and do
your shopping elsewhere?

20,000 Amazon employees have tested positive for COVID since the pandemic
began, but the company is not taking the steps to protect those
workers.(3) 

The Cal/OSHA complaint says that Amazon is failing to provide the training
necessary for avoiding coronavirus infection, doesn’t allow for social
distancing, and doesn’t inform employees when infection breakouts happen
in their work areas.(4)

Meanwhile, Amazon is hiring 100,000 more employees for the holiday season
-- 100,000 more people that will be at risk.

It’s not just the coronavirus putting Amazon workers at risk. Bezos is the
richest man in America, with a worth of more than $200 billion. But his
warehouse workers in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in the
country, only make $15.25 an hour, a wage that has only risen by 25 cents
in two years.(5) Paid sick leave is minimal, and health insurance is
through a for-profit clinic.(6)

[ [link removed] ]Dollar signs are the only language Jeff Bezos understands. Pledge to
#BlackOutBezos this holiday season.

Workers’ rights aren’t the only reason to #BlackOutBezos this year. COVID
and Amazon’s monopoly have crushed small businesses. Since the beginning
of the pandemic, 160,000 shops have gone out of business, while Amazon’s
profits have soared.

Even the independent contractors who work with Amazon have been hurt by
Bezos. A recent House of Representatives report found that Amazon has
developed software to identify independent products that are becoming
successful so the corporation can make a cheaper version to sell.(7)

So this holiday season, we need to make the effort to shop local and
support our small businesses, while letting Bezos know that we won’t
support his treatment of his workers.

We’re asking you to pledge to not shop Amazon for your holiday purchases
and suport your community’s shops instead. By spending your money with the
people who live and work in your neighborhood, you can do a world of good
while standing up to Amazon’s abuses.

[ [link removed] ]Will you sign our #BlackOutBezos pledge now?

Yours in the fight for workers' rights,

Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Deepthi, Gabby, Jay, Lindsay,
Molly, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team)

Footnotes:
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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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