Amazon Union Leader Hits Back at Lindsey Graham in Hearing: ‘You Should Listen’

The founder and president of the Amazon Labor Union testified before the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday, where he took a moment to rebut Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Christian Smalls spearheaded the effort to organize more than 8,000 employees at an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, where workers voted to form a union in April. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who fervently supported the effort, invited Smalls to testify before the committee.

Before Smalls spoke, Graham criticized the “demonization of individual companies,” such as Amazon. He said Sanders – the committee chair – was conducting a “dangerous” hearing.

“Every time I turn around, you’re having a hearing about, ‘Anybody who makes money is bad,'” he told Sanders.

Before reading his opening statement, Smalls addressed Graham’s remarks.

“First of all, I want to address Mr. Graham,” he began. “It sounds like you’ve been talking about more of the companies and businesses in your speech, but you forgot that the people are the ones who make these companies operate, and we’re not protected and the process for when we hold these companies accountable is not working for us.”

Smalls explained he was at the hearing to represent the workers who make companies operate.

“And I think that it’s in your best interest to realize that is not a left or right thing,” he told Graham. “It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing. It’s a workers thing. It’s a workers issue, and we are the ones that are suffering.”

Smalls said Graham would be wise to heed the concerns of labor.

“You should listen because we do represent your constituents as well,” he said. “So just take that into consideration that the people are the ones that make these corporations go. It’s not the other way around.”

Watch above via C-SPAN.