New York State Sues Amazon Over Lack of COVID-19 Protections
This past Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a lawsuit against Amazon. The lawsuit was issued in response to the manner in which Amazon handled Covid-19 related worker safety issues at two New York Warehouses. The lawsuit claims that Amazon’s drive for faster growth and higher profits led to its “flagrant disregard” of worker safety at a Staten Island fulfillment center and a Queens distribution center. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Amazon engaged in illegal retaliation when employees began to complain. The case cites the incident of activist Christian Smalls, who was fired last March for violating a paid quarantine when led a protest over working conditions at the Staten Island warehouse. Amazon has filed its own lawsuit against New York State in an attempt to block the case.
See "New York State Sues Amazon Over Lack of COVID-19 Protections", CNBC, February 17, 2021