Amazon is facing a double whammy of a threatened worker strike and a Senate probe — all stemming from allegations of unsafe working conditions.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Dec. 15 released a report suggesting Amazon’s warehouses create a “uniquely dangerous” environment for its workers.
The company also missed The International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ Dec. 15 deadline to recognize two chapters of its union; now, two warehouses are set to strike ahead of the holidays.
A recurring point of discussion
Amazon’s alleged unsafe working conditions remain a hot topic of discussion and point of litigation.
Sanders’ report, out of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, followed a similar one published earlier this year: an interim report regarding Amazon Prime Day and its alleged link to increased warehouse injuries. Sanders also kicked off the probe in an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy in June of last year.
Sunday’s report accuses Amazon of manipulating warehouse data to downplay injuries and forcing workers to do repetitive motions in a way that encourages musculoskeletal strain.
It also claimed Amazon has studied the harm it causes to workers, but “refuses to make safety improvements if they might hinder productivity.” Finally, the report also accuses Amazon of obstructing workers’ access to medical care.
Amazon responded to Sanders’ report, saying that while leadership respects Sanders and the HELP committee, the senator’s report “features selective, outdated information that lacks context and isn’t grounded in reality.”
“Our voluntary, good-faith cooperation with this investigation was premised on the reasonable expectation that any report would be even-handed and truthful, even if that truth was inconvenient for people who want to claim that our workplace is anything other than safe,” Amazon’s statement said.
Additionally Amazon refuted claims that as delivery speeds increase, injury rates increase. The retailer posited that it increased its delivery speeds while decreasing the injury rates across the board.
Teamsters allege unsafe conditions, approve strike
Amazon workers participate in a May Day rally in Manhattan on May 1, 2022, in New York City.
Stephanie Keith via Getty Images
Sanders called the working conditions, as outlined by his report, “shockingly dangerous” and “beyond unacceptable.”
He accused the company’s execs of “[putting] profits ahead of the health and safety of its workers by ignoring recommendations that would substantially reduce injuries at its warehouses. This is precisely the type of outrageous corporate greed that the American people are sick and tired of.”
Meanwhile, the Teamsters accused Amazon of illegally delaying the collective bargaining process; on Dec. 9, it announced that it had given the e-commerce giant a deadline of Dec. 15 to agree to bargaining dates.
Per the union, California, Georgia, Illinois and New York workers seek to unionize due to the alleged working conditions, as outlined in the HELP committee report. The union also named “disrespect” and low wages as other motivations for organizing efforts.
“Thousands of Amazon workers around the country have courageously united to take on one of the world’s most abusive employers. Amazon has a legal obligation to recognize the Teamsters and to start negotiating,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “Time has run out for this trillion-dollar company.”
On Dec. 14, New York warehouses JFK8 and DBK4 voted to strike, following the company’s “illegal refusal to recognize their union and negotiate a contract addressing the company’s low wages and dangerous working conditions,” the Teamsters announced.
Responding to the HELP committee allegations, Amazon said, “Our employees’ safety is and always will be our top priority.”