Friend,

Last week in the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, workers were forced to keep sorting packages even as warning after warning of an unprecedented storm bore down on them. The warehouse collapsed, killing six and injuring many more.(1)

The workers impacted by the EF-3 tornado were fatally betrayed by Amazon. The families of those killed, and the workers injured or now out of a job, need our help. The Athena coalition is collecting funds to support the workers who suffered the warehouse collapse in Illinois, and we’d appreciate your support.

Will you chip in $5 to help the victims of the Amazon warehouse collapse in Illinois? 100% of your donation will go to the relief fund.

The stories of how Amazon ignored the danger of the storm are horrifying.

An Amazon driver in Illinois could hear the tornado sirens outside of her truck when she asked her supervisor if she could return to her base to seek shelter.

If she did that, her boss at Amazon said, “you will not have a job come tomorrow morning.”(2)

Additionally, an Intercept reporter spoke to 12 Amazon workers in the Illinois warehouse who said they had never once experienced a tornado drill or any emergency response preparation on the job.(3)

The Athena coalition is a group of more than 50 grassroots organizations -- including Warehouse Workers Resource Center, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and PowerSwitch Action -- that Courage California has aligned with to stand up to Amazon’s abuses. We are demanding answers as to why workers were still driving trucks and inside the warehouse while a storm with the strongest tornadoes on record ravaged the area.

And right now, the Athena coalition is giving immediate assistance to the workers who suffered at the hands of Amazon during the storm.

This holiday season, will you please donate $5? 100% of the money received will go directly to Amazon workers or families of workers killed, injured, or otherwise impacted during the Illinois storm.

Yours in the fight for employee dignity,

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

PS: Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state and country. Will you become a monthly donor and help sustain our work?

Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more progressive California and country. Follow us now on Facebook or Twitter!

Footnotes:
1. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/13/amazon-warehouse-collapse-safety-illinois
2. https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-driver-illinois-tornado-keep-delivering-lose-job-return-warehouse-2021-12
3. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/13/amazon-warehouse-collapse-safety-illinois