NEW YORK, Feb 16 (Reuters) – New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) on Tuesday over its handling of worker safety issues around the COVID-19 pandemic at two warehouses, just days after the retailer filed its own lawsuit seeking to block her case.
In a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, James said Amazon's drive for faster growth and higher profits led to its "flagrant disregard" of steps needed to protect workers from the coronavirus at a Staten Island fulfillment center and a Queens distribution center, both in New York City.
James also accused Amazon of illegally retaliating when employees began to complain, including last March when it fired activist Christian Smalls purportedly for violating a paid quarantine when he led a protest over conditions at the Staten Island warehouse.
"Throughout the historic pandemic, Amazon has repeatedly and persistently failed to comply with its obligation to institute reasonable and adequate measures to protect its workers," the lawsuit said.
"Amazon has cut corners in complying with the particular requirements that would most jeopardize its sales volume and productivity rates," it added.
[1/2] FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo/File Photo
James sued four days after Amazon filed its own lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court to stop her from suing.
Amazon said in its lawsuit that federal labor and safety laws took precedence over New York’s in addressing workplace safety, and that James was overstepping her authority.
"We care deeply about the health and safety of our employees, as demonstrated in our filing," Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in response to James' lawsuit.
"We don't believe the Attorney General's filing presents an accurate picture of Amazon's industry-leading response to the pandemic," Nantel added.
Amazon also faced scrutiny last March when workers protested conditions at the Staten Island warehouse. New York City announced its own probe at the time.
The attorney general’s lawsuit seeks to require Amazon to upgrade its protections for workers, reinstate Smalls, and pay damages to him and another worker who allegedly faced retaliation.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday it was ending a 10-month-long global health emergency for mpox, a viral disease that led to confirmed cases in more than a hundred countries.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.
The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.
The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.
Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.
Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts.
Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
© 2023 Reuters. All rights reserved