(ANSA) – NEW YORK FEB 17 – The state of New York filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the company did not provide workers with a safe environment in two warehouses in that entity, amid the increase in cases by Covid-19 that increased across the United States
The lawsuit was filed by State Attorney Letitia James, just days after Amazon filed a preventive lawsuit to block the lawsuit for its security protocols against the coronavirus and the firing of one of its employees who opposed the working conditions.
Prosecutor James accused Amazon of “firing and punishing” employees who had opposed the working conditions imposed during the pandemic
“As Amazon and its president made billions during this crisis, hardworking employees were forced to endure unsafe conditions and suffered retaliation for expressing these concerns, rightly so,” the prosecutor added in a statement.
Lawsuit filed last night claims Amazon showed “blatant disregard for health and safety requirements” and illegally retaliated against employees who sounded the alarm
In March, when New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, James launched an investigation into Amazon following complaints about the lack of precautions taken to protect employees at the New York facility amid the pandemic.
“It is clear that Amazon placed more value on profits than on people and failed to guarantee the health and safety of its workers,” the prosecutor said.
James lamented that workers make the country work are “the worst dealings”
The investigation focused on two facilities, one on Staten Island and the other in Queens, where more than 5,000 people work.
The investigation found evidence that Amazon violated state law on cleaning and sanitizing protocols, contact tracing, and allowing workers to take precautions to protect themselves from the risk of infection.
A group of Amazon employees demonstrated several times in the spring in front of one of the warehouses on Staten Island, to criticize management for not having sufficiently protected them against the coronavirus.
Amazon, on the other hand, then claimed to have done more than necessary to limit the risks of contagion, establishing distance between employees and tripling the frequency of cleaning the premises. (ANSA)
