New York: A National Labor Relations Boards (NLRB) investigation has discovered that Amazon allegedly threatened and retaliated against workers who protested against the company's response to the pandemic
As per NLRB documents, Amazon "illegally interrogated and threatened Jonathan Bailey, a lead organiser of the Queens Amazon walkouts, who has issued a federal complaint against Amazon". As per his testimony, Bailey had conducted a walkout at an Amazon warehouse in Queens, New York, on March 20, 2020, following which the management interrogated him.
"Amazon did its best to keep everybody working while simultaneously crushing our effort to fight back," says Bailey, as per the report.
In October 2020, Amazon revealed that 19,816 front-line employees in the US were tested positive or presumed to be positive. New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Amazon in February 2021 for not providing sufficient safety measures to employees and lashing back against workers who raised concerns. Amazon retorted by filing a lawsuit against James, to which James clarified that she would "not be intimidated."
Amazon has negated the NLRB investigation. Its spokesperson said, "While we disagree with allegations made in the case, we are pleased to put this matter behind us."
"The health and safety of our employees is our top priority, and we are proud to provide inclusive environments where employees can excel without fear of retaliation, intimidation or harassment," they added.
The company has further claimed of making an investment of $10 billion to keep employees safe and continue to deliver customers in 2020.