New Jersey accuses Amazon of discriminating against pregnant workers

New Jersey attorney general files lawsuit Amazon On Wednesday, the company claimed violated rights There are thousands of pregnant employees and disabled staff working in many facilities across the state.

The complaint, filed in Essex County Superior Court by Attorney General Matthew Platkin, alleges that Amazon violated state anti-discrimination law regarding how pregnant employees and employees with disabilities are treated when requesting workplace accommodations.

The state said the lawsuit follows a years-long investigation by its civil rights unit into Amazon’s treatment of workers at warehouses in New Jersey.

The state’s investigation found that Amazon had allegedly violated the rights of pregnant and disabled workers since October 2015 by furloughing pregnant and disabled workers when they requested accommodations, denying reasonable accommodations, and “unreasonably” delaying its response to workers’ requests, according to the lawsuit.

He also alleged that Amazon “illegally” retaliated against these workers seeking housing, including by firing them. After workers were given accommodations, Amazon allegedly fired some employees for “failing to meet the company’s stringent productivity requirements.”

“There is no excuse for Amazon’s disgraceful treatment of pregnant workers and workers with disabilities,” Platkin said in a statement. he said. “Amazon’s egregious behavior has caused tremendous harm to pregnant workers and disabled workers in our state, and it must stop now.”

Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement that accusations that Amazon does not comply with federal and state laws, such as New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law, are “absolutely untrue.”

“Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone,” Nantel said.

The company said it approves more than 99% of pregnancy accommodation requests submitted by workers. Amazon also claimed that pregnant employees were automatically placed on leave and wrongfully denied accommodation requests.

The complaint seeks to demand that Amazon pay unspecified compensatory damages and fines, as well as court orders requiring the company to adjust its policies and comply with monitoring and reporting requirements for five years, among other remedies.

In one incident described in the complaint, an unnamed pregnant employee was given a regulation that allowed her to take additional breaks and restricted her from lifting items weighing more than 15 pounds.

Less than a month after the accommodation was approved, he was terminated for allegedly “not meeting packing numbers,” even though the accommodation required him to pack fewer items each shift.

In another case, a pregnant employee’s accommodation request was closed due to missing medical paperwork when the requested documentation was not requested. When the worker attempted to resubmit his request, he received three warnings, allegedly for “low productivity,” and was eventually fired for “not paying interest,” according to the complaint.

Amazon’s internal investigation into the case did not confirm that the employee was fired due to her pregnancy, but the company ultimately refunded her back pay, the lawsuit said.

“Amazon’s discriminatory practices and systematic failure to accommodate pregnant workers and workers with disabilities have the effect of pushing these workers out of Amazon’s workforce; the net result is [Law Against Discrimination] It was intended to obstruct,” according to the lawsuit.

Amazon’s treatment of pregnant employees and others in the expanding front-line workforce have come under scrutiny in the past.

The company, the nation’s second-largest private employer, has faced lawsuits from workers in its warehouses who claim the company failed to accommodate them when they became pregnant and then fired them because they failed to meet performance standards. CNET reported.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched an investigation last year into Amazon’s treatment of pregnant workers in its warehouses after six senators encouraged Amazon to do so, citing a “concerning pattern of mistreatment.”

The New York Division of Civil Rights filed a complaint against Amazon in 2022, alleging that its facilities discriminate against pregnant workers and workers with disabilities.

Amazon said it does not comment on pending litigation.