Around 50 workers from Amazon were suspended due to protests prompted by dangerous working conditions. Several workers complained about possibly inhaling toxic fumes due to the fire that had previously broken out in the Staten Island Amazon warehouse.
A great number of workers participated in the work stoppage to protest, which lasted about three hours, claiming that the fire that originated in a cardboard compactor by the loading dock had rendered the workplace unsafe.
Amazon claimed that the warehouse was already safe and most of the workers had already complied with Amazon's behest to get back to work, according to Engadget.
The Amazon Labor Union
The night shift workers are calling Amazon out for not putting worker safety first. They have taken the largest collective action known in Amazon's history, amassing over 650 employees for protests.
Employee Brett Daniels said that there was no notification from Amazon prior to the shift change, and the night shift just went to work in an unsafe environment.
Another employee claimed that they showed no proof that it was already safe to work and just ordered the employees to work through it. Eli Andino, also an Amazon employee, said that it started making him feel congested and that his head was hurting.
Based on a letter posted by the labor union on Twitter, their main grievance is that Amazon refused to send workers home despite possible health implications brought about by the fire. Amazon has already been in a heated situation previously due to them supposedly prioritizing profit over their workers.
The labor union claims that this has led to a string of workplace-related deaths in warehouses in the neighboring state of New Jersey.
On top of that, the workers were insulted by the raise that Amazon had implemented. They believe that the 25-cent raise for long-term workers simply won't suffice. This was after a year-long review process. With inflation at 9.1%, the 25 cents is an effective pay cut over $1.85 per hour.
The ALU posted a video on Twitter showing the commotion that was happening inside JFK8. The tweet mentioned that the managers tried to "force employees back to work in the aftermath of a fire."
Last night, managers at JFK8 tried to force employees back to work in the aftermath of a fire. The building was flooded and filled with smoke. Hundreds of workers felt unsafe & demanded to be sent home. We initiated a health and safety work stoppage when they wouldn't comply. pic.twitter.com/dOAb29JPIS
— Amazon Labor Union IBT (@amazonlabor) October 4, 2022
Amazon's Reason Behind Suspension
The retail company's managers had suspended workers for refusing to go to work. Based on Amazon spokesperson Paul Flannigan's statement, Amazon respects its workers' right to protest but finds it inappropriate for them to be a nuisance in active workspaces or break rooms.
Amazon also stated that the company managers suspended the workers involved in the protest while the situation was being investigated, and they did so with paid leave.
The Amazon spokesperson told CBS that the fire department has already certified that the building is safe, which is why they asked the night shift employees to continue with their regularly scheduled shift.
Although while the fire department has responded to the fire outside the building, it was still unclear if they actually inspected the facility, specifically the conditions inside.
