TikTok influencers with more than 51 million followers say they won’t work with Amazon until the e-commerce behemoth makes key concessions to workers and halts anti-union efforts.
It’s the latest example of YouTubers flexing their online stage for a cause on the massively growing platform better known for dance madness and catchy songs.
An advocacy group calling itself Gen-Z for Change said it coordinated a pledge by more than 70 popular TikTok talents to stand in solidarity with Amazon workers through a “People Over Prime Pledge.”
The vow relates to Amazon Prime – a paid subscription from the online giant that includes perks like fast deliveries – but also the pressure it puts on staff to fulfill orders.
“We urge Amazon to listen to its employees and make tangible changes to their work environment,” the group said in a letter, noting that TikTok has more than a billion users.
“If no changes are made, we will prevent Amazon from monetizing one of the largest social media platforms in the world.”
The coalition is pushing for the company’s workers to receive a minimum wage of $30 an hour, improved health insurance and a relaxation of productivity requirements.
The group is also calling on Amazon, which has long resisted union organizing efforts at its US facilities, to end its opposition.
“We’ve always known how important creators are to the Amazon marketing model,” Elise Joshi, Gen-Z for Change’s director of strategy, told AFP on Monday.
“Creators, especially TikTok creators, are the gateway to young people; we are reclaiming that power,” the 20-year-old added.
An influencer program launched by Amazon five years ago offers developers on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms ways to make money by recommending products in posts and directing shoppers to the e-commerce service.
Some, but not all, coalition members – who last week refused to do business with Amazon, including direct sponsorships and use of the e-commerce titan’s storefront – were linked to this partnership initiative.
– ‘Pleasant pace’ –
The demands in this case come from union organizations that won a vote to open the first union store at one of Amazon’s US department stores earlier this year.
Amazon, the second largest employer in the United States behind retail megachain Walmart, has spoken out strongly against attempts to organize workers.
“The health, safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority,” Amazon spokesman Paul Flanigan said in response to an AFP query.
“We are committed to giving our employees the resources they need to thrive, making time for regular breaks and a comfortable work pace,” he added.
Amazon has invested billions of dollars in safety measures, technology and more to keep employees safe, Flanigan said.
Joshi dismissed Amazon’s response as “boilerplate,” hoping it would inspire social media influencers to get involved with the campaign.
– TikTok Activism –
Gen-Z for Change organizers argued that with the power to reach tens of millions of young internet users comes the responsibility to advocate for social justice.
“We’re committed because we have a big platform and a passion for justice,” said Connor Hesse, 19, a content specialist at Gen-Z for Change and a TikTok creator with around 2.3 million subscribers.
Mobilizing social media for employee rights at Amazon may prompt other companies to improve working conditions to avoid being targeted by similar campaigns, argued Aly, a TikTok creator behind the usa.mom.in.germany account.
Gen-Z for Change has targeted pro-worker campaigns at coffee chain Starbucks and Kroger supermarket group.
TikTok users in 2020 boasted of tricking former US President Donald Trump into boasting that an Oklahoma campaign event would be overrun over online ticket requests, only to find him meet a low-capacity audience.
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