Amazon was sued on Wednesday in a proposed class motion lawsuit that alleges the e-commerce big has used “punitive attendance insurance policies” in opposition to its workers.
The grievance claims Amazon makes use of an automatic system to trace worker attendance, after which threatens workers with self-discipline and attainable termination once they make legally protected lodging requests.
“Below this method, workers reside beneath fixed risk of punishment in the event that they get sick or injured or want time without work to look after a member of the family,” the submitting claims, including that the corporate’s insurance policies discourage workers from exercising their authorized rights.
The lawsuit alleges Amazon’s practices violate the Individuals with Disabilities Act and two different New York state legal guidelines governing incapacity discrimination and office absence insurance policies.
In an emailed response to CBS Information, Amazon denied the allegations.
“Claims that we do not observe federal and state legal guidelines just like the Individuals with Disabilities Act and New York State Human Rights Regulation (NYSHRL) are merely not true,” the corporate stated. “Making certain the well being and well-being of our workers is our high precedence, and we’re dedicated to offering a secure and supportive setting for everybody.”
Amazon added, “Our devoted Lodging group evaluations every request individually to verify workers have entry to the lodging and changes they want, and we repeatedly consider our method to finest handle their wants.”
The lawsuit was filed in a federal courtroom in New York by a lady named Cayla Lyster, who began working as an Amazon worker in 2022 in upstate New York. Lyster, who has a everlasting genetic connective-tissue dysfunction known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, stated within the lawsuit that she requested sure lodging from Amazon in 2023, together with a chair to take a seat on, which Amazon allegedly delayed.
Lyster claims Amazon requested inappropriate questions on her medical situation, docked her unpaid time without work (UPT) after which threatened her with self-discipline and termination whereas she was ready for her lodging request to be permitted.
“Ms. Lyster got here perilously near termination for her UPT deductions whereas on an undesirable, unpaid ready interval pending lodging, regardless of a number of makes an attempt to speak with Amazon and clarify her absences,” the lawsuit says.
Lyster is requesting compensatory and punitive damages in addition to a jury trial.
