Political Vendettas Put Small Business in the Crossfire
The success of small business owners, particularly Hispanic entrepreneurs, is interconnected with online marketplaces. For example, more than 60% of sales in Amazon’s store are from independent sellers that are overwhelmingly small businesses and oftentimes Hispanic-owned. In fact, 36% of Hispanic businesses make most (or all) of their revenue through online sales.
In spite of this, some elected officials have chosen to prioritize personal agendas at the expense of taxpayers, ultimately wasting time and money on fruitless pursuits. Senator Bernie Sanders’ recently released Amazon Investigation Interim Report is an example of such an effort that put America’s small business community in the crossfire.
I can't help but think that the report was created to serve a personal agenda against the nation’s largest online marketplace. It relied on outdated data to draw misleading conclusions that Amazon is a uniquely dangerous workplace and sets an inappropriate and extreme precedent rife with questionable methodology and bias.
To begin, the report relies heavily on data from 2019. This data predates the COVID-19 pandemic and is considered ancient history in the industry. Workplaces have drastically changed since then with significant advancements in warehouse safety. By intentionally using outdated data, it fails to account for these developments, painting an inaccurate picture of Amazon’s workplace safety.
What the interim report purposely overlooks is the progress that Amazon has made to comply with OSHA’s federal safety standards and improve their performance in this critical aspect of the workplace. Sanders’ interim report knowingly ignores how Amazon’s safety record is on par with the warehousing industry and outperforms the transportation industry.
It also ignores the $1.75 billion in safety investments by Amazon since 2019. Even more telling is the unfathomable oversight of OSHA data from 2023, which indicates that Amazon’s recordable injury rate fell by 28%, and the lost time injury rate dropped by 75%.
Further emphasizing the lack of merit in the interim report, last week, a Washington judge vacated all of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ citations against Amazon, ruling that the department failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its allegation that Amazon’s workplace is hazardous. The department’s misguided claims concerning Amazon’s injury rate are similar to those made by the interim report – and in both instances, OSHA data and the investments made by Amazon proved them wrong.
It’s notable that in 2018 Senator Sanders introduced the failed Stop BEZOS Act. Subsequently, he has sent multiple accusatory letters to Amazon’s leadership and posted inflammatory comments about the company on social media. It appears to me that the Senator launched an attack, via the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, against a company for which he holds a personal distaste.
In my opinion, this is an example of why things in D.C. simply don’t get done. Time and tax dollars were spent chasing a mission void of facts, with little regard for the economic welfare of our small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Considering that Amazon’s workforce is 26% Hispanic, I would support ensuring the fair treatment of their workers. This is not that. Instead of pursuing misguided investigations, I urge Senator Sanders and the Senate HELP Committee to refocus their efforts on developing bipartisan policies that genuinely protect and strengthen the American workforce.
Javier Palomarez is the President & CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC). The United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC) is a voice for the Hispanic business community. A 501(c)6 non-profit organization, the USHBC focuses on improving access to contracting in the public and private sector, fair representation of Hispanics in business, media, and politics and ensuring Hispanics have a voice in the national dialogue. The USHBC is a nonpartisan organization.