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As the labor movement underwent a roaring resurgence in 2021, Sanders rallied with striking workers. Now, he’s taking on billionaire Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway.

By Sharon Zhang, Truthout

As labor advocates hail 2021 as the “year of the worker,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) is encouraging workers to maintain the momentum by using their collective leverage to organize.

On Wednesday, Sanders issued a warning to corporations and executives on Twitter. “For the ruling class, greed is a religion. They will cut back on workers’ wages, on workers’ benefits, on workers’ safety on the job — all for the sake of having more, more, more,” he wrote. “I’ve got news for the ruling class: you cannot have it all. The working class is fighting back.”

bernie sanders and warren buffet

Sanders’s statements come at the end of a consequential year for the labor movement. Over 100,000 workers authorized strikes this year, with workers at John Deere, Kellogg, and more – along with health care workers across the country – securing wins in contract negotiations with employers. This past year also saw workers organizing in solidarity against fierce anti-union retaliation from companies like Amazon and Starbucks, which have employed illegal union-busting tactics in response to workers’ demands.

Sanders has repeatedly celebrated this year’s major labor moves – and on Thursday, he once again encouraged employees to organize their workplaces. “It’s true that corporate profits have never been higher. And still, they want more,” he said. “But there is another more important truth: there are a lot more of us than there are of them. Now is the time to organize. Now is the time to end their greed.”

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