USA: new strike at Amazon for better protection

Amazon warehouse workers went on strike again Monday to demand better protection from the coronavirus. They obtained the support of engineers and coders of the group, according to the associations which organize the movement.

About 400 warehouse workers, who started their movement last Tuesday, used sick leave Monday to avoid going to their workplace, according to the Athena association.

They denounce the “continued refusal of Amazon to take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in its facilities”, she details a press release.

In a separate move, which started on Friday, 500 Amazon engineers and coders did not work on Monday, according to the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice association.

Capped days off

Employees also criticize the online distribution giant for capping the number of days of unpaid leave from April 30.

On Sunday, more than 50 employees left an Amazon warehouse in Minnesota and 2000 signed a petition demanding that Amazon reverse this decision.

“You have to choose between your job and potentially pass the disease on to your family,” said Rachel Belz, who works at an Amazon distribution center in New Jersey, during a press conference call on Monday. Employees in more than 130 warehouses have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the organizers.

Charges dismissed

Contacted by AFP, Amazon said that warehouse workers, who cannot telecommute, have a range of paid and unpaid leave options, and that anyone tested positive for Covid-19 or placed in quarantine would benefit from two weeks of leave, in addition to the five weeks planned each year.

An Amazon spokesperson said the available days have been extended “to cover the circumstances of Covid-19, such as high-risk individuals and school closings.”

She also said that the accusations of not stepping up security efforts were “simply not well-founded”. Amazon has been accused since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic of not sufficiently protecting its employees, and of having dismissed workers in the United States who had led protest movements.