New Jersey Attorney General files complaint accusing Amazon of discrimination
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- A civil rights complaint is targeting Amazon, accusing the company of systematically discriminating against pregnant and disabled workers.
New Jersey's Attorney General filed the complaint and is accusing the retailer of several violations, including placing pregnant women workers on unpaid leave, retaliating against workers who take a leave and firing workers who are pregnant or disabled.
There have been 27,000 complaints filed against Amazon and the State Attorney General says one of the world's richest companies needs to follow state laws when it comes to discrimination.
"It regularly fires warehouse workers who request accommodations just days or weeks after that request is submitted," New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said.
The State Attorney General says Amazon would refuse simple requests such as bathroom breaks and water breaks.
Platkin also said Amazon would retaliate against workers who didn't lift heavy packages, got hurt on the job and asked for special accommodations during pregnancy.
Investigators say this was a systemic problem and violates workers' civil rights.
"Today's lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring Amazon to change its policies and practices to ensure that, no, they no longer discriminate against pregnant employees or employees with disabilities," Yolanda Melville, the Director of the Department of Civil Rights said.
Amazon has warehouses all over the state, boasting over 50,000 workers.
Platkin says the company has over a trillion dollars and could treat its employees in a fair and just manner.
"Amazon automatically places many pregnant employees and employees with disabilities on unpaid leave when they simply make an accommodation request and it keeps them on unpaid leave until after it has denied those requests," Platkin said.
A spokesperson for Amazon released a statement saying, "The claims that we don't follow federal and state laws like the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act or the NJ Law Against Discrimination are simply not true. Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we're committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone. The fact is we offer employees comprehensive accommodations throughout their pregnancy journey and postpartum. Since 2022, we've processed more than 72,500 pregnancy accommodations requests in US Operations alone, and our current approval rate for pregnancy accommodation requests is higher than 99%. We also offer up to 20 weeks of fully paid leave for eligible birthing parents."
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