Hundreds Of Amazon Employees Plan To Protest Coronavirus Safety By Calling Out Of Work

TOPLINE

More than 300 Amazon warehouse workers are calling out of work this week to demand additional coronavirus protections for the nearly 250,000 warehouse workers employed nationwide at the company, which has seen its stock price soar during the pandemic even as concerns among its employees emerge. 

KEY FACTS

Crucial quote

“I’m calling out this week because I’m scared to come to work and can’t trust Amazon to keep me and my co-workers safe,” said Jaylen Camp, an Amazon worker at the fulfillment center in Romulus, Michigan.

Tangent

The spike in demand for delivered goods has caused Amazon’s stock to surge over the last month. Shares hit an all-time high last week, closing at $2,283 per share on April 14. As the stock continues to soar, CEO Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, continues to see his net worth increase, according to Forbes estimates.

Key background

Amazon has faced criticism of labor groups and progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for its reaction to employee activism. The company fired Staten Island warehouse worker Christian Smalls earlier this month after he organized a small strike. And last week, Amazon fired two white collar employees who publicly denounced Amazon’s treatment of warehouse workers and criticized the company for its climate policies.

Amazon denied it fired Smalls in retaliation for protesting, saying he was terminated because he didn’t follow orders to stay home after having contact with the infected employee. The company said it fired the other two employees for violating internal policies, but did not say which ones.

What’s next

Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, the corporate employees who were fired, are organizing a sickout among the company’s white collar workers on Friday. They are calling on Amazon to reinstate any fired employees, make public the number of infections at Amazon facilities and make permanent the bump in pay and sick leave implemented during the pandemic, among other demands.

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