Story at a glance
- California’s attorney general opened an investigation into Amazon’s COVID-19 practices at its California facilities last year.
- The retail giant agreed to pay out $500,000 toward enforcement of California’s consumer protection laws while also submitting to new COVID-19 safety protocols.
- Amazon will now have to report new COVID-19 cases to workers within one day and to local health authorities within 48 hours.
A year after California’s attorney general’s office opened an investigation into Amazon workers’ safety concerns, the retail giant agreed to pay out $500,000 and notify its workers and local health agencies of new COVID-19 cases.
The investigation began a year ago, under former attorney general Xavier Becerra, and focused on Amazon’s workplace practices in light of the coronavirus pandemic. One employee filed a lawsuit against the company alleging Amazon had put workers at “needless risk,” by forcing workers to share equipment and failing to allow workers extra time for safe social distancing.
On Monday, Rob Bonta, California’s new attorney general, announced Amazon would submit to monitoring by the state regarding it’s COVID-19 practices and pay $500,000 towards further enforcement of California’s consumer protection laws.
Under California law, employers are required to notify workers of COVID-19 cases at their worksites and provide employees with information on COVID-19-related benefits and protections. They also must share their disinfection and safety plan and report COVID-19 cases to local health agencies.
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In Monday’s announcement, Bonta said in part, “Today’s first-of-its-kind judgment will help ensure Amazon meets that requirement for its tens of thousands of warehouse workers across California. Bottom line: Californians have a right to know about potential exposures to the coronavirus to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”
Amazon will now be required to notify its California employees within one day the exact number of COVID-19 cases in their workplaces and notify local health agencies of new COVID-19 cases within 48 hours. The company will also submit to monitoring by the Office of the Attorney General regarding COVID-19 notifications and pay $500,000 towards enforcement of California’s consumer protection laws.
“We’re glad to have this resolved and to see that the AG found no substantive issues with the safety measures in our buildings. We’ve worked hard from the beginning of the pandemic to keep our employees safe and deliver for our customers— incurring more than $15 billion in costs to date—and we’ll keep doing that in months and years ahead,” said Barbara Agrait, Amazon spokesperson, to Changing America in an email statement.
According to The Associated Press, it’s not clear how many Amazon employees have been exposed to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic, but in October 2020 the company disclosed that nearly 20,000 of its front line U.S. workers had tested positive for the virus or were presumed infected.
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