Amazon has agreed to pay a half-million-dollar fine and be monitored by California officials to ensure it properly notifies its workers about new coronavirus cases, the state’s attorney general announced Monday.
Amazon employs about 150,000 people in California, most of whom work at the company’s 100 “fulfillment centers” — sprawling warehouses throughout the state where orders are packed and shipped. The agreement, which must be approved by a judge, requires the Seattle-based retailer to notify its workers within a day when new coronavirus cases are discovered in their workplaces.
Amazon also agreed to notify local health agencies of new virus cases within 48 hours, and to stop issuing notices that Attorney General Rob Bonta says do not adequately inform employees of their rights related to the pandemic, or of steps the company is taking to ensure worker safety.
“As the company enjoyed booming and historic sales with its stock price doubling, Amazon failed to adequately notify warehouse workers and local health agencies of COVID-19 case numbers, often leaving them unable to effectively track the spread of the virus,” Bonta told reporters in San Francisco at an event held across the street from an Amazon warehouse.
“This left many workers understandably terrified and powerless to make informed decisions to protect themselves and to protect their loved ones,” he added.