On Friday, Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) led a delegation of members of Congress to Bessemer, Alabama, where workers at an Amazon warehouse are striving to become the first unionized facility managed by the e-commerce giant anywhere in the country. The members, who included Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Nikema Williams (D-GA), and hometown congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL), met with workers and held a roundtable discussion, in addition to visiting the front gates of the facility. The labor movement has gone all in on this election, amid some of the more innovative anti-union tactics in recent memory. I talked to Levin by phone from the gate as he was flying out of Birmingham, Alabama, about his visit, the importance of the election for workers at Amazon and across the country, and why we’re seeing workers rise up in a moment of economic insecurity during the pandemic.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
David Dayen: Tell me what the mood was like from workers at the Alabama facility?
Andy Levin: So on the one hand, the mood was upbeat. Even to some extent euphoric. But also kind of somber and determined. This is no joking matter, to go up against Amazon in 2021. The pressure these workers are under is unbelievable. It’s why they’re trying to form a union.
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