New York State Sues Amazon Over Worker Treatment During Covid-19 Pandemic -- Update
February 17 2021 - 12:13AM
Dow Jones News
By Sebastian Herrera
New York's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against
Amazon.com Inc. that accuses the online retailer of not doing
enough to protect workers in the state from the coronavirus.
Last week, Amazon sued New York's attorney general to prevent
the state from taking legal action against the company over its
handling of worker safety during the pandemic and the firing of one
of its warehouse workers last year.
"Throughout the historic pandemic, Amazon has repeatedly and
persistently failed to comply with its obligation to institute
reasonable and adequate measures to protect its workers from the
spread of the virus in its New York City facilities," New York
state Attorney General Letitia James wrote in a complaint filed in
the state Supreme Court.
Amazon, a company spokeswoman said, doesn't "believe the
Attorney General's filing presents an accurate picture of Amazon's
industry-leading response to the pandemic."
Ms. James began an investigation into Amazon's labor practices
last year following the firing of the worker, Christian Smalls. He
was among a group of employees who staged a walkout at the
company's Staten Island facility in March to help draw attention to
requests for better pay and added protections against the risks
they faced working during the pandemic. The protest was one of
several by workers around the country who said Amazon didn't
implement enough safety measures to guard against Covid-19.
Amazon has said it dismissed Mr. Smalls because he violated
social-distancing guidelines, including ignoring orders to stay
home for two weeks after coming in contact with a co-worker who had
a confirmed case of Covid-19. Mr. Smalls is one of several Amazon
workers who in the past year have claimed wrongful termination by
the company for speaking out.
The Amazon spokeswoman said the company cares "deeply about the
health and safety of our employees, as demonstrated in our filing
last week." In its complaint, Amazon listed several measures it
took for worker safety during the pandemic--including regularly
testing employees for the coronavirus, and implementing temperature
checks and providing protective equipment. The company has said it
spent roughly $11.5 billion last year on Covid-19-related
costs.
Write to Sebastian Herrera at Sebastian.Herrera@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 16, 2021 23:58 ET (04:58 GMT)
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