Protesters Call For Tax Reform, Better Pay Outside Beverly Hills Mansion Of Amazon's Jeff Bezos
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) -- Activists marched to the Beverly Hills mansion of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Sunday afternoon.
They were demanding increased pay, free health care and other reforms within the company, and accused billionaires like Bezos of not paying their fair share.
"You should really be less greedy and help people," said demonstrate Celeste Huete about Amazon's billionaire CEO. "Pay your employees a living wage so they won't have to be on government subsidies."
The protest began around 2 p.m. at Will Rogers Memorial Park at 9650 Sunset Boulevard and participants walked to 1801 Angelo Drive.
It was organized by The Congress of Essential Workers and led by Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee in New York, who was fired in March after helping to organize a walkout at a Staten Island warehouse due to coronavirus concerns.
Organizers of Sunday's Beverly Hills demonstration shared several demands, including more transparency from Amazon about the coronavirus pandemic, stricter prevention measures, increased hazard pay for employees, free child care, free health care, and other demands.
"We demand that Jeff Bezos and the rest of the billionaire class pay their fair share to deal with the climate crisis,'' a statement from The Congress of Essential Workers said. "We are calling for a decent living wage of $30/hour minimum for all Amazon employees, Medicare and childcare for all, and the right to unionize without fear of retaliation. These are just a few of the issues that we feel billionaires like Jeff Bezos, who makes nearly $4,000 a second, can absolutely help relieve or resolve.''
Amazon said in a statement that it offers employees industry-leading pay, a diverse benefits package, a safe work environment and opportunities for career growth.
"At Amazon, these benefits and opportunities come with the job, as does the ability to communicate directly with the leadership of the company. We encourage anyone to compare our overall pay, benefits, and workplace environment to other retailers and major employers in the community and across the country,'' company spokesperson Maria Boschetti said in a statement.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)