NY is Urging Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to Close Warehouses Hit by Coronavirus

As many as 45 New York lawmakers, top unions, and even Amazon employees, are urging Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos to close his warehouses that have been hit by the deadly coronavirus.

The group sent a letter to Bezos, asking for Amazon to close facilities where employees have tested positive for the virus. They also urged the “swift reinstatement” of Chris Smalls, a warehouse worker who was fired by Amazon on Monday.

According to Amazon, Smalls was fired for not following social distancing rules after he was quarantined, but Smalls said he was fired for organizing the strike.

“You claim to have adopted a number of practices to sanitize worksites and protect workers,” the letter reads. “But a compelling number of workers have come forward — and even run the incredible personal risk of walking off the job — to report that the actual situation in warehouses does not match Amazon’s public relations statements. Your workers deserve to have full protections and to be confident that they are not carrying COVID-19 home to their families.”

An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the group’s accusations are “unfounded.”

The spokesperson said Amazon has implemented a “broad suite” of new benefits changes for employees since the pandemic unfolded and put in place a number of new safety measures at its facilities to protect employees.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our teams,” the spokesperson said. “Since the early days of this situation, we have worked closely with health authorities to proactively respond, ensuring we continue to serve customers while taking care of our associates and teams.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and have not been compensated for this article.