Amazon said Monday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is “just wrong” after she claimed the tech giant pays average workers “starvation wages.”
“.@AOC is just wrong,” Amazon tweeted Monday morning. “Amazon is a leader on pay at $15 min wage + full benefits from day one. We also lobby to raise federal min[imum] wage.”
The company included a clip of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez telling ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos became a billionaire due, in part, to “paying people starvation wages.”
“When you have a very large workforce and you underpay every single person and then you also participate in taking billions of dollars of government subsidies, that could be part of it,” she said, adding that many Amazon workers are on food stamps.
Amazon said the freshman lawmaker’s comments are ridiculous.
“These allegations are absurd,” a company spokesperson told Fox Business in a statement. “Amazon associates receive industry-leading pay starting at $15 an hour — in fact, hourly associates at our Staten Island facility earn between $17.30 and $23 an hour, plus benefits which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
“On top of these benefits, Amazon pre-pays 95% of continuing education tuition costs through its Career Choice program for associates who want to pursue in-demand careers,” the company said. “For anyone who wants to know what it’s like to work in an Amazon fulfillment center, sign up for a tour today.”
Amazon has been a frequent target of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez since her election. She and other Democrats successfully pressured the company to scrap its second headquarters in Long Island City earlier this year.
.@AOC is just wrong. Amazon is a leader on pay at $15 min wage + full benefits from day one. We also lobby to raise federal min wage. https://t.co/crWp5fPEzS
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 17, 2019
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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