Amazon on Friday abruptly fired union organizer Jennifer Bates, who’s been a leading spokesperson of the unionization campaign by warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama. Bates often spoke out against Amazon’s workplace safety issues and its attacks on union efforts, including in Congress and on Democracy Now! in 2021.

Jennifer Bates: “The reason why we’re organizing is because we need an even playing field. Some of the conditions that are in there are: being ignored by human resources, long work hours with only two breaks, long walks upstairs and downstairs. … So, we want to be heard. We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues. People are getting fired without having their opportunity to speak their side.”