Amazon Air contractors claim safety risks as new coronavirus outbreaks emerge
Employees at Worldwide Flight Services , an Amazon Air subcontractor, say they continue to face an unsafe work environment during the pandemic.
Amazon has changed how its warehouses operate to improve safety, offered additional benefits to workers who fall sick and set up a relief fund for delivery contractors. "These workers are vital," said Cathy Morrow Roberson, founder of consulting firm Logistic Trends & Insights. "It's like the connective tissue for your body, except they're the connection between the airplane and the warehouse. Without them, packages would just be sitting in these facilities."
Five WFS workers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport told CNBC they've confronted managers multiple times over the past few months about employees who don't wear masks or gloves, along with other safety concerns. Despite this, they say, not much has changed, except now the facility requires temperature checks. Many of the workers asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to talk to the press about company matters.
A video taken in June and obtained by CNBC shows WFS workers in Phoenix clustered in groups around cans with the Amazon logo emblazoned on the side. Many of the workers in the video aren't wearing masks and there are at least three employees inside the cans stacking boxes. Another WFS worker in Phoenix, who asked to remain anonymous, became so frustrated with the facility's lack of safety measures that they filed a complaint with Arizona's OSHA division on May 2. The complaint, which was viewed by CNBC, claims the facility isn't following federal guidelines for social distancing and that it isn't requiring workers to self-quarantine when they've been exposed to the coronavirus.
Workers estimate that at least four employees have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Phoenix facility. Each time, there was no official notification from the site's management, they said. Instead, workers said they learned about new infections via word of mouth. The company hasn't told workers whether it's carried out contact tracing or notified workers who might have been in close contact with the infected individuals, the workers said.
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