The New York State Division of Human Rights has filed a criticism in opposition to Amazon.com Inc. accusing the web retailer of discriminating in opposition to pregnant and disabled employees at its worksites, Governor Kathy Hochul stated on Wednesday.
Amazon was additionally accused of getting insurance policies requiring employees to take unpaid leaves of absence, even when they’re able to working, as an alternative of offering cheap lodging.
New York faulted Amazon for giving worksite managers the ability to disregard suggestions by in-house “lodging consultants” that employees obtain modified schedules or job tasks.
State legislation requires employers to offer cheap lodging to pregnant and disabled employees who ask. It additionally treats pregnancy-related medical situations as disabilities.
“My administration will maintain any employer accountable, no matter how large or small, if they don’t deal with their employees with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Hochul stated in an announcement.
Amazon didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
The criticism got here as Seattle-based Amazon faces rising criticism over its remedy of employees, together with some whom have pushed for unionization.
Amazon employed 1.61 million individuals at 12 months finish, and is the biggest U.S. personal employer apart from Walmart Inc WMT.N. It operates 23 worksites with greater than 39,000 employees in New York.
Final September, six Democratic senators together with New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand referred to as on the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee to research Amazon’s alleged “systemic” failure to accommodate pregnant warehouse employees.
Wednesday’s criticism described how Amazon allegedly compelled one pregnant employee to proceed lifting packages over 25 kilos (11 kg), and put her on indefinite unpaid go away after she was injured.
It additionally stated Amazon reversed suggestions to let two disabled employees modify their work schedules, after their managers resisted the adjustments.
Complaints by the Division of Human Rights are confidential.
The Amazon criticism seeks unspecified civil fines and penalties, improved coaching, and new insurance policies governing the evaluate of requests for cheap lodging. Violations can lead to penalties of as much as $50,000, or $100,000 for willful conduct.
Amazon’s revenue was $33.4 billion in 2021.
The corporate has additionally been the goal of litigation by state Lawyer Normal Letitia James. On Might 10, a state appeals court docket dismissed her lawsuit accusing Amazon of failing to guard employees at two New York Metropolis services in opposition to COVID-19, and illegally retaliating in opposition to two staff who protested the situations.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Extra reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Enhancing by Andrew Heavens, Chizu Nomiyama, Nick Zieminski and Marguerita Choy)
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