Amazonian Perfidy

IT TURNS OUT that Amazon dot com is not quite as generous with its employees as it at first seemed. The much publicized fifteen dollar an hour minimum wage raise is, as it turns out, being more than offset by the elimination of all employee bonuses, and by "changes" to their 401K stock portfolios, which means, of course, less stock, lower levels of corporate contribution to retirement plans, less value in employee retirement plans. After all the hype, after all is said and done, the fifteen dollar pr hour pay boost will actually save money thus make money for the internet giant, will result in a net decrease in employee prosperity, and will further enrich the world's richest man, Jeff Bezos. The much hyped gift of love to the lowest level employers turns out to be yet another perfidious corporate trick to transfer yet more wealth from the poor to the wealthy, disguised as the opposite. A few days ago the public relations world was abuzz and ablaze with adulation for the top dogs, who were being touted as beneficent sharers of wealth. the announcement of the hourly wage increases was announced with fanfare befitting a royal wedding or birth; but then, soon thereafter, qnd quietly, the whispered announcement of the stolen benefits from the very people who need them the most, the most desperately poor working class. A coup for the folks at top; credit for being good and generous, while actually being bad and greedy, for you will notice that the outpouring of congratulations for the mega corporation at teh announcement of its wage increase was not matched by any similar fanfare, by any publicity, positive or negative, at the revelation of its amended bonus and retirement plan policy. whether Bernie Sander has commented on the development is uncertain; he was profusely congratulatory of the company at the revelation of their initial ostensibly generous behavior towards its poorest employees. Bernie may stay silent;most politicians prefer to revel in positive reaction to their positive praiseworthy comments, and to leave it at that. But Bernie, and all true champions of the working class should and must at this crucial time come forth in outspoken condemnation of the corporate misdeed being visited upon its own employees, and in unconditional support for the welfare of the workers. the only question is " where are the true champions of the workers, and will they step up and produce?