“It’s basically putting workers in the position of needing to choose between their safety and their paycheck,” said Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, a legal advocacy organization that helped file the lawsuit.
A coalition of current and former Amazon workers claim that retailer regularly uses “punitive attendance policies” against employees, punishing workers even when they make legal requests.
According to CBS News, the lawsuit states that Amazon uses an automated system to track employee attendance. If a worker makes a legally protected accommodation request, they are, many times, threatened with either discipline or termination.
“Under this system, employees live under constant threat of punishment if they get sick or injured or need time off to care for a family member,” the lawsuit alleges.
Attorneys for the class say that Amazon’s internal policies discourage employees from exercising their rights. More specifically, the lawsuit claims that Amazon’s practices violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as several New York state laws governing disability-related discrimination and workplace absences.
“It’s basically putting workers in the position of needing to choose between their safety and their paycheck,” said Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, a legal advocacy organization that helped file the lawsuit.
Amazon has since denied the allegations, telling CBS News that any claim that the company breaks the law is simply untrue.
“Claims that we don’t follow federal and state laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) are simply not true,” Amazon said in a statement. “Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we’re committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone.”
“Our dedicated Accommodations team reviews each request individually to make sure employees have access to the accommodations and adjustments they need, and we continuously evaluate our approach to best address their needs,” Amazon added.
The lead plaintiff in the case is Cayla Lyster, a New York resident who started working at an Amazon location in Upstate New York in 2022. Lyster, who has a permanent genetic connective-tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, said that she requested certain accommodations in 2023, including an accommodation for a chair to sit on.
Amazon allegedly delayed making a decision, and then asked inappropriate questions about her medical condition. Lyster subsequently found that Amazon penalized her by reducing her unpaid time off; she was also threatened with termination while awaiting a decision.
“Ms. Lyster came perilously close to termination for her [unpaid time off] deductions while on an unwanted, unpaid waiting period pending accommodation, despite several attempts to communicate with Amazon and explain her absences,” the lawsuit states.
Sources
Amazon sued in class action lawsuit over workplace absence practices
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