Amazon Sued Over Warehouses After New York Worker Brings Coronavirus Home, Cousin Dies

Amazon did not comment on the lawsuit, but said it has always followed guidance from health authorities.

Amazon Sued Over Warehouses After New York Worker Brings Coronavirus Home, Cousin Dies

Amazon has benefited as the pandemic forced many consumers unable to visit physical stores

Highlights
  • Amazon has been sued for allegedly fostering spread of the coronavirus
  • The complaint was filed on Wednesday, June 3
  • About 800 US workers have tested positive for COVID-19
Advertisement

Amazon has been sued for allegedly fostering the spread of the coronavirus by mandating unsafe working conditions, causing at least one employee to contract COVID-19, bring it home, and see her cousin die.

The complaint was filed on Wednesday in the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, by three employees of the JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island, and by family members.

One employee, Barbara Chandler, said she tested positive for COVID-19 in March and later saw several household members become sick, including a cousin who died on April 7.

The lawsuit said Amazon has made JFK8, which employs about 5,000, a "place of danger" by impeding efforts to stop the coronavirus spreading, boosting productivity at the expense of safety.

It said Amazon forces employees to work at "dizzying speeds, even if doing so prevents them from socially distancing, washing their hands, and sanitising their work spaces."

Amazon did not comment on the lawsuit, but said it has always followed guidance from health authorities and its workplace safety experts since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The Seattle-based company has benefited as the pandemic forced many consumers unable to visit physical stores to shop online more.

Unions, elected officials and some employees have faulted Amazon's treatment of workers, including the firing of some critical of warehouse conditions.

Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said last week that Amazon has not fired people for such criticism.

Amazon is spending more than $800 million on coronavirus safety in this year's first half, including cleaning, temperature checks and face masks.

At least 800 workers in US distribution centers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an employee's unofficial tally.

Amazon ended 2019 with 798,000 full- and part-time employees.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring that Amazon comply with worker safety and public nuisance laws, and not punish employees who develop COVID-19 symptoms or are quarantined.

The case is Palmer et al v Amazon.com Inc., US District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 20-02468.

© Thomson Reuters 2020


Is Realme TV the best TV under Rs. 15,000 in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Amazon, Jeff Bezos, COVID 19, Coronavirus
Realme X3 Models Spotted on Google Play Listing, India’s BIS Certification Page: Report
Realme X50t 5G Key Specifications Tipped, Rumoured to Launch Very Soon
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »