New York Attorney-General sues Amazon over COVID-19 safety protocols
The Attorney-General of New York is suing Amazon over COVID-19 safety protocols, accusing the company of being more concerned with making money than protecting its workers from getting sick. The lawsuit, filed late on Tuesday, involves two Amazon facilities in New York City that employ more than 5,000 workers. Here are the details.
What are the allegations against Amazon?
The lawsuit alleges that Amazon failed to disinfect those facilities where infected workers had been present, didn't contact workers when they were exposed to the virus and made employees work so much that they didn't have time to disinfect their workstations or stay socially distant.
Amazon had preemptively sued to block the suit
"While Amazon and its CEO made billions during this crisis, hardworking employees were forced to endure unsafe conditions," said New York Attorney-General Letitia James, who filed the lawsuit. The suit landed just days after Amazon preemptively sued to block it from happening. On Wednesday, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said that the attorney general's lawsuit doesn't present an accurate picture of Amazon's response to COVID-19.
What does the lawsuit filed by Amazon say?
In its lawsuit filed on Friday, Amazon had said that the unannounced inspections by the New York City sheriff's office found its New York warehouse went above and beyond safety requirements.
Workers have been protesting against lack of COVID-19 measures
The pandemic has exposed how Amazon treats its workers who pack and ship orders. Some have protested for the lack of masks and protective equipment. Others have said that Amazon isn't forthcoming about how many people are getting sick. At a warehouse in Alabama, nearly 6,000 workers are voting on whether they want to join a union, the biggest union push in Amazon's history.
Workers didn't get sufficient break time
Not having enough breaks was also brought up in the lawsuit. It said that Amazon monitors workers constantly and that those who aren't working at all times could get in trouble or be fired. That has caused workers to rush back from breaks and not take the time to wash their hands, clean their workstations or stay socially distant, according to the complaint.
Amazon allegedly fired an employee for leading a protest
Besides potentially exposing workers to the virus, the lawsuit also said that Amazon illegally retaliated against workers who spoke up about poor safety conditions in its facilities. One of those workers, Christian Smalls, was fired by Amazon in March after he led a protest at the Staten Island warehouse. Amazon said that the company terminated Smalls because he violated social-distancing guidelines.
Lawsuit claims Smalls was wrongly fired
But the lawsuit said that Smalls never entered the facility during the protest, and Amazon never told him to leave the parking lot where the protest took place. It also said two human resource workers agreed in writing that Smalls should not have been fired.
Direct Amazon to protect its workers, lawsuit tells court
In the lawsuit, the Attorney-General has asked the court to force Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. to offer Smalls his job back and pay him for emotional distress, as well as other damages. It has also asked the court to make sure Amazon is protecting the health of its workers by monitoring the company and forcing it to change its policies.
