The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the U.S. economy, forcing many businesses to shutter, at least temporarily, and others to drastically change the way they do business. 'It’s not really about the money, it’s really about the health and safety of his employees,' Palmer added.
The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the U.S. economy, forcing many businesses to shutter, at least temporarily, and others to drastically change the way they do business.
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis. "The human cost is priceless," Christian Smalls, 31, who worked at Amazon in New York for five years before he says he was abruptly fired as he led protests over the company’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, told ABC News."They put a price on people’s lives."
Just this week, an Amazon warehouse worker at the New York City facility where Smalls worked died of complications from COVID-19. "Workers at other Amazon facilities have said essential supplies like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes are being rationed, and at times are wholly unavailable," the senators wrote.
In a March letter, a group of 14 states attorneys general also took issue with the paid sick leave policy at Amazon, which only extended to those diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine. "What these CEOs are failing to realize is that they are allowing your workforce to get sick and possibly die because you want to make sure that you’re still thriving during a pandemic, financially," Smalls said."That’s putting profits above people."
“Under normal circumstances, in this coming Q2, we’d expect to make some $4 billion or more in operating profit,” the CEO said in a statement last Thursday. “But these aren’t normal circumstances. Instead, we expect to spend the entirety of that $4 billion, and perhaps a bit more, on COVID-related expenses getting products to customers and keeping employees safe.”
“While I can appreciate people protesting, and it’s certainly everyone's right to protest, it seems to me from a company standpoint and an executive standpoint, they are doing the right thing by reinvesting the profits into the company,” Herzog said. “If you as an employer can’t take the basic steps to protect your workers, there is something very wrong with your business model,” she said. “It makes complete business sense to take care of their workers.”
Levandowski, of Amazon, told ABC News that the company is"not stopping or slowing down orders where we already have stock and where those orders do not prevent us from shipping priority items."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Amazon Warehouse Worker In New York Dies Of COVID-19He worked at a Staten Island warehouse where employees had recently walked out to demand that the facility be temporarily closed and sanitized.
Read more »
Deforestation of Amazon rainforest accelerates amid COVID-19 pandemicAs the world’s population takes shelter from the COVID-19 pandemic, an historic assault is being waged on the Amazon rainforest—and the indigenous people who have called it home for thousands of years.
Read more »
Amazon drone delivery team is manufacturing COVID-19 face shields - Business InsiderLeaked emails show Amazon's drone delivery team is manufacturing face shields for COVID-19 and crowdsourcing employee ideas to improve warehouse safety
Read more »
KISS' Gene Simmons argues with fans who don't believe masks curb spread of COVID-19'The idea of cloth masks or any other kind of mask, is not to protect you,' Simmons tweeted. 'It's to protect everybody else around you.'
Read more »
Former Olympian Jenny Thompson joins the fight against COVID-19Fmr. Olympian Jenny Thompson, best known as the record-holder for the most Olympic medals won by a female swimmer, joins the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19.
Read more »
Colombia extends COVID-19 lockdown to May 25, additional sectors to start re-openingColombia's mandatory quarantine will be extended by a further two weeks as it tries to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday, although additional sectors will be allowed to start returning to work.
Read more »