Amazon suspends dozens of employees who staged walkout after Staten Island warehouse fire
This particular warehouse in Staten Island is unionized
STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- Amazon suspended dozens of workers at its only unionized warehouse on Tuesday, one day after they organized a work stoppage following a fire at the facility.
About 50 workers at a Staten Island Amazon warehouse were suspended with pay Tuesday following the work stoppage.
The walkout was in a response to a fire that broke out at an Amazon warehouse on Monday. This particular warehouse in Staten Island is unionized.
The entire building was evacuated after a cardboard compactor caught fire. Those who worked the day shift were sent home with pay, but night shift personnel were told to come to work that night.
According to one of the suspended workers, Connor Spence, the building still smelled like smoke which made it difficult for some of the workers to breathe.
An Amazon spokesperson claimed the fire was outside of the building, and that the fire department had deemed the building safe.
Spence, who is also the secretary treasurer for the Amazon Labor Union, estimated that about 100 people walked out on the job. The amazon spokesperson said it was only a small group who refused to work.
Amazon plans to conduct a full investigation. They do not formally recognize or bargain with the unions.
The Amazon Labor Union said it will file an unfair labor practice charge in response.
CNN contributed to this report.
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