California files petition against Amazon seeking compliance in its COVID-19 investigation

California State Attorney Xavier Becera filed a file petition With Sacramento County Supreme Court On Monday asking the court to order Amazon To comply with “pending investigative subpoena” related to an ongoing investigation into company workplace conditions.

Amazon workers and community members are protesting outside Jeff Bezos’ New York City home for better protection from COVID-19

The petition alleges that Amazon has failed to adequately comply with legal requests from the state regarding information and documents relating to the company Corona Virus Protocols, including an examination of sick leave policy and clean-up procedures, as well as preliminary data on the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths at Amazon facilities across California

Amazon made billions during this pandemic by relying on the work of primary workers. The Prosecutor said Becera in prof. Their workers get the job done and they put themselves at risk statement. “It is important to know whether these workers are receiving protection in the job they are entitled to by law. Time is of the essence. Amazon has delayed sufficiently responding to our investigative requests for long enough. We are seeking a court order to compel Amazon to fully comply with subpoenas.” Our own. “

The Attorney General’s office indicated that the investigation is ongoing and that no decisions have been made regarding the coronavirus protocols at Amazon due to the company’s “limited response”.

Former Amazon employee claiming black and Hispanic workers No PPE provided

Amazon employees have been complaining for months about the company’s working conditions. Nationwide protests, Including outside The home of CEO Jeff Bezos in New York City.

Additionally, retail giant A. lawsuit From a former employee Christian Smalls, Who Amazon claims was fired for endangering the health and safety of others and violating his work terms yet An organized strike On March 30th, nearly 60 people demanded that Amazon JFK8 Staten Island deep-clean and sterilize facility be shut down after peers tested positive. New York Attorney General Letita James has also launched an investigation In Workplace Conditions at Amazon, which Smalls collaborated with.

An Amazon spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement that the online retailer is “baffled by the Attorney General’s sudden rush to court,” noting that Amazon has been working cooperatively with the country for months, and allegations of non-compliance “don’t line up with the facts.”

“The bottom line is that we are a pioneer in providing COVID-19 safety measures to our employees – we have invested billions of dollars in equipment and technology, including building on-site tests for employees and providing personal protective equipment,” the spokesperson said. “We encourage anyone to compare our speed and procedures in this area with any other major employer.”

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Amazon said in Blog post It expects to invest nearly $ 10 billion by the end of 2020 in initiatives related to COVID-19 to keep employees safe and deliver products to customers, including $ 500 million in special vacation bonuses for frontline employees For their constant hard work during the pandemic.

Amazon revealed in October that Nearly 20,000 of its frontline employees in the United States have tested positive or presumed to be infected with the Coronavirus. However, the company argued that infection rates among its employees were much lower than those found among the general population in the United States.

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according to Latest update from Johns Hopkins UniversityIn the United States, there are more than 16.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 300,000 related deaths. California registered More than 33,000 new cases of coronavirus and 77 deaths on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections in the state to more than 1.5 million cases and more than 21,000 deaths. As of Sunday, at least 14,578 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19.