Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, commonly known as AOC, is the latest to jump into the overall controversy around Amazon workers peeing in bottles due to work pressure. It all started with reports of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders visiting Bessemer, Alabama, to support Amazon workers’ attempt to unionise.

Also read: Jeff Bezos ducks Bernie Sanders’ invite to discuss ‘union-busting’ campaign

Commenting on one such report, Amazon executive Dave Clark tweeted, “I welcome Senator Sanders to Birmingham and appreciate his push for a progressive workplace.”

Taunting the liberal lawmaker, Clark wrote, I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace for our constituents: a $15 minimum wage, health care from day one, career progression, and a safe and inclusive work environment.”

“So if you want to hear about $15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown. But if you would like to make at least $15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is hiring,” Clark added.

Also read: US President Joe Biden shows support for unions of Amazon employees

To this, Democratic lawmaker from Wisconsin, Mark Pocan, said, “Paying workers $15/hr doesn’t make you a “progressive workplace” when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles.”

Responding to the lawmaker’s claim of Amazon workers peeing in bottles, the company said, “You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us.”

“The truth is that we have over a million incredible employees around the world who are proud of what they do, and have great wages and health care from day one,” 

Commenting on the company’s statement, AOC shared a memo sent by Amazon’s logistics department in which the manager rebuked employees for defecating into bags. The manager also called them out for leaving urine bottles inside the bags.

“This evening, an associate discovered human feces in an Amazon bag that was returned to station by a driver. This is the 3rd occasion in the last 2 months when bags have been returned to station with poop inside,” the memo read.

“We understand that DA’s [driver associates] may have emergencies while on-road, and especially during Covid, DAs have struggled to find bathrooms while delivering,” it read.

The manager also wrote about an “uptick recently of all kinds of unsanitary garbage being left inside bags: used masks, gloves, bottles of urine.”

She also shared The Intercept’s report on Amazon being aware of workers peeing in bottles, despite the company’s public denial.

According to a report in Business Insider, Amazon has vehemently opposed the unionisation of its workers. It has argued that it would cost them more money and in the end, would provide benefits they already enjoy.