AOC says to 'skip' Amazon, Instacart orders to help striking workers
Amazon workers in Staten Island staged a walkout on Monday
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., asked Amazon and Instacart customers to "skip your order" after Amazon employees in Staten Island and Instacart shoppers planned strikes on Monday.
"One of the best ways to thank essential workers is to support the fight to improve their lives. ... Skip your order today [and] offer to help those who rely on delivery," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.
The Amazon and Instacart workers are on strike for safer working conditions, paid leave for all and hazard pay, Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
Workers at Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center staged a walkout Monday to call for the retailer to sanitize the facility after an employee there tested positive for COVID-19.
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"If a building tests positive you should shut it down and sanitize it," organizer Christian Smalls told FOX Business. "That's all we're asking for. ... If we don't get a response today, then we're going to City Hall."
Amazon employees hold a protest and walkout over conditions at the company's Staten Island distribution facility on March 30, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
"We have taken extreme measures to keep people safe, tripling down on deep cleaning, procuring safety supplies that are available, and changing processes to ensure those in our buildings are keeping safe distances," an Amazon spokesperson told FOX Business.
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Meanwhile, Instacart shoppers were also planning to strike on Monday, saying the grocery delivery company isn't doing enough for its gig workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon employees hold a protest and walkout over conditions at the company's Staten Island distribution facility on March 30, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
In a Medium post published Friday, Instacart workers asked for proper protection — including hand sanitizer and wipes — hazard pay of $5 for each order and an extension of benefits to workers affected by the virus.
An Instacart spokesperson told FOX Business the company has "made a number of significant enhancements to our products and offerings over the last few weeks that demonstrate Instacart’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of the entire Instacart community."
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That includes plans to provide health and safety supplies to full-service shoppers as well as changes to default tip settings in the app. The app will default to a customer's last tip amount, something that Instacart says has already boosted earnings for individuals making money with the app.
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FOX Business' inquiry to Amazon was not immediately returned.
