About 100 Amazon workers at a New York success middle plan to go on strike at midday Monday, saying administration has been unresponsive to security considerations and the unfold of the coronavirus on the facility. Staff are demanding that the Staten Island web site be closed for a minimum of two weeks and sanitized. The e-commerce large closed a warehouse in Queens for cleansing after an worker examined optimistic, as reported by The Atlantic. They’re asking for employees to be paid throughout this time and for retroactive compensation for individuals who had already stayed house out of worry for his or her well being and security.
Chris Smalls, a administration assistant on the web site generally known as JFK8 and lead organizer of the strike, has labored at Amazon for 5 years at three buildings within the New York tri-state space. Colleagues started falling in poor health after Amazon managers got here again from a visit to Seattle, the preliminary epicenter of the virus within the U.S., in line with Smalls.
He left work within the second week of March out of concern for his well being. Smalls returned final week to rally assist for a piece stoppage among the many constructing’s four,500 workers and reiterate his considerations and proposals to administration.
“What are we ready for?” he mentioned he advised the location’s common supervisor and head of human assets. “Somebody to die?”
He says the corporate has not been clear about what number of workers on the Staten Island location have examined optimistic for covid-19, the illness attributable to the novel coronavirus, and have taken inadequate security precautions, together with permitting considered one of his colleagues to return to work whereas awaiting her take a look at outcomes.
Information of the deliberate strike was first reported by CNBC. Amazon didn’t instantly reply to an emailed request for remark.
“Individuals must be held accountable, even [Amazon owner] Jeff Bezos himself,” Smalls mentioned in a phone interview. “These buildings all throughout the globe must be shut down. We’re the breeding floor for the coronavirus.”
Staff have taken to Fb and Instagram teams to arrange the small print of the work stoppage and share tales of working situations, he mentioned.
Get Boston.com’s e-mail alerts:
Join and obtain coronavirus information and breaking updates, from our newsroom to your inbox.
Boston.com Information Alerts
Join Boston.com’s e-mail alerts and obtain coronavirus information and breaking updates, from our newsroom to your inbox.
Thanks for signing up!