Amazon has been sued for allegedly keeping its employees under a “constant threat of punishment” if they call in sick or need time off.
The complaint, filed yesterday, alleges that the retail giant uses an automated system to track employee attendance and threatens workers with possible termination when they make legally protected requests.
The class action lawsuit claims that the company has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as two other New York state laws that govern disability discrimination and policies surrounding workplace absence.
"Under this system, employees live under constant threat of punishment if they get sick or injured or need time off to care for a family member," the lawsuit read.
The suit was filed in a federal court in New York by Cayla Lyster, who worked at a company warehouse in Syracuse, New York. She is suing for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a jury trial.
Lyster said in the lawsuit that she started working at Amazon in 2022. After “Amazon changed her job duties in late 2023,” she requested that her employer make small accommodations for her, such as a new chair, since she has a connective-tissue disorder named Ehlers-Danlos.
The plaintiff alleges that Amazon denied these requests and, in her lawsuit, claimed that she was “subjected” to “cruel, derogatory comments and inappropriate questioning about her medical condition.” The lawsuit also alleges that deductions were made to her Unpaid Time Off balance after she had submitted her requests.
"Ms. Lyster came perilously close to termination for her UPT deductions while on an unwanted, unpaid waiting period pending accommodation, despite several attempts to communicate with Amazon and explain her absences," the lawsuit says.
In a statement released by the nonprofit organization A Better Balance, Lyster said that she hopes to hold the company “accountable.”
“My fight for accommodations at Amazon has been one of the most stressful and mentally damaging periods of my life,” she wrote. “But I look forward to the future with hope.
“I will hold Amazon accountable by demanding that they make changes to their accommodation and attendance processes so that all associates with disabilities, not just me, will be respected as human beings.”
Inimai Chettiar, the president of A Better Balance, slammed the e-commerce giant for “risking” the “health” of its employees.
“Amazon has devised policies that ensure that employees live under the constant threat of punishment, risking their health and safety to come to work every day instead of raising their legal rights,” she wrote in the A Better Balance statement. “These workers shouldn’t ever need to choose between their safety and their paycheck.
“And no company—not even Amazon—is above the law.”
However, Amazon has firmly refuted the claims.
“Claims that we don’t follow federal and state laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) are simply not true,” Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, told The Independent. “Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we’re committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone.
“Our dedicated Accommodations team reviews each request individually to make sure employees have access to the accommodations and adjustments they need, and we continuously evaluate our approach to best address their needs.”
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