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Law360 (April 24, 2020, 10:10 PM EDT ) The head of the AFL-CIO pledged Friday to aid Amazon workers who say they've been punished for speaking out about unsafe conditions in the company's warehouses, including by providing them help in legal battles against the e-commerce giant.
President Richard Trumka offered the federation's help during an online protest led by two former Amazon user experience designers who said they were fired earlier this month after rallying tech workers to support their blue-collar colleagues. A handful of warehouse workers have also accused the company of firing or disciplining them for protesting job conditions, though Amazon claims it fired the workers for violating company policies.
"All of us will stand with you," Trumka said. "We will all publicize this, we will all stand in solidarity with you, we will help you with lawyers and any legal fights that you have, any needs that you have."
Trumka was one of several workers' advocates, climate activists and Amazon workers who spoke Friday during a day-long livestreamed "sickout" organized by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, an environmental advocacy group. Fired tech workers and group members Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham hosted the event, which encouraged Amazon workers to call out sick to protest its climate policies and treatment of workers.
A representative for Amazon Employees for Climate Justice estimated that about 500 tech workers took part in the sickout.
The protest is the latest in a series of actions by Amazon workers dating back to last month, when employees in the company's nationwide network of distribution centers began demanding increased safety precautions and stronger leave policies during the pandemic. In addition to Costa and Cunningham, warehouse workers in New York, Minnesota and Chicago have accused the company of retaliating against them for organizing their colleagues.
Workers have claimed Amazon encourages them to come into work sick by providing them paid time off only if they have a confirmed coronavirus case, and it keeps workers in the dark about the virus' spread in its facilities. Trumka described conditions in the company's warehouses as "deplorable" Friday, accusing owner Jeff Bezos of "forcing people to choose between their livelihood or their health."
Trumka also criticized the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which adopts and enforces workplace safety standards. Trumka, other labor leaders and Democratic politicians have criticized the agency for not issuing an emergency standard making businesses take additional safety precautions during the pandemic. He described the agency as "a cadaver" Friday.
"It's been rudderless for three years, it hasn't had a leader ... that's why it's up to us, why we [in organized labor] have to stick together," Trumka said.
An AFL-CIO representative told Law360 the federation has "consulted with union lawyers assisting workers in Seattle" but is not directly representing any of the fired workers.
An Amazon spokesperson downplayed support for the protest, saying "all but a handful of our 800,000+ employees around the world came to work as usual to continue delivering on behalf of customers." The company has taken "extensive measures" to protect workers, including distributing protective equipment and maintaining social distancing, the spokesperson added.
--Editing by Adam LoBelia.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
