An Amazon distribution center is shown alongside the highway in Fontana, California, USA, June 30, 2020.
Mike Blake | Reuters
California’s attorney general and state and local agencies are investigating whether Amazon has taken adequate steps to protect its workers from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a court filing Monday.
The Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the San Francisco Department of Public Health “have opened investigations into Amazon’s practices” around the pandemic, wrote the San Superior Court judge. Francisco, Ethan Schulman.
Chiyomi Brent, described as an order picker at Amazon’s San Francisco Fulfillment Center, filed a lawsuit on June 11, alleging that the world’s largest online retailer has put workers at “unnecessary risk.” The lawsuit alleges unsafe practices, such as having workers share equipment such as freezer suits and not allowing additional time for safe social distancing.
The attorney general’s office declined to comment, and Amazon and the other agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Schulman refused to issue a preliminary court order that would have closed the warehouse until further precautions were taken. He said Brent had not demonstrated the risk of imminent harm and that his concerns would be better handled by government investigators.
SFDPH told Schulman that Amazon’s practices at the San Francisco facility had improved between visits from July 7 to 16, while Cal / OSHA told the judge that its investigation is ongoing after an inspection on July 14. July.
The attorney general’s office told the court last week that its state investigation into Amazon, which dates back to at least May, is also ongoing.
Amazon faced criticism of working conditions in its warehouses even before the coronavirus hit, and in April it was accused of firing three critics for its pandemic response.
American consumers have come to trust Amazon to shop online and avoid the coronavirus, which has killed more than 146.00 Americans.
Amazon has argued in court documents that it has taken many steps to protect workers at San Francisco facilities, including wearing masks and thoroughly disinfecting equipment such as freezer suits. Amazon and SFDPH told the court that no coronavirus cases had been linked to the facility.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office sent a letter to Amazon in April saying the online retailer may have violated security measures and labor practices during the pandemic. The letter came after Amazon broke up Christian Smalls, a critic of the company’s warehouse conditions in the pandemic, for violating a paid quarantine.
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