5,000 signatures reached
To: Amazon
Tell Amazon to stop discriminating against pregnant and disabled workers!
The state of New Jersey filed a lawsuit against Amazon alleging that the mega-corporation is discriminating against thousands of pregnant and disabled warehouse workers. This is yet another example of Amazon prioritizing maximum profits over its workers and the law.
New Jersey’s investigation found that Amazon receives thousands of requests for workplace accommodations a year from pregnant and disabled workers. According to the lawsuit, the corporation’s responses to these requests show a consistent disregard for the civil rights of pregnant and disabled workers, a pattern of discriminatory practices that have pushed workers out of their jobs, and even unlawful retaliation against these workers.
“Put simply, Amazon has exploited pregnant workers and workers with disabilities in its New Jersey warehouses,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “In building a trillion-dollar business, Amazon has flagrantly violated their rights and ignored their well-being – all while it continues to profit off their labor.”
Why is this important?
Mother Jones documented the story of Genesis, an Amazon warehouse worker who was pregnant in 2024 when she brought in a doctor’s note saying that she needed to take regular breaks, limit bending and twisting, and lift no more than 20 pounds. Despite the doctor’s note, her manager wrote her up for sitting down and taking breaks. She said, “They basically told me you can keep doing your job the way we want you to do it without the chair or without the breaks or you can go on unpaid leave.”
The NJ filing documents many such similar cases, like Amazon immediately placing a pregnant employee on unpaid leave after she requested using a wheelchair as an accommodation. Amazon told another employee that she was being placed on unpaid leave after her disability accommodation request was denied. There are clear laws in place that require companies to provide reasonable accommodations to workers and protect them from this type of discrimination and retaliation.
The New Jersey Attorney General said, “There is no excuse for Amazon’s shameful treatment of pregnant workers and workers with disabilities. Amazon’s egregious conduct has caused enormous damage to pregnant workers and workers with disabilities in our state, and it must stop now.”
It’s important for us to support Amazon workers and use our collective power to hold ultra-rich executives accountable for the unfair treatment of workers.
Sign the petition: Tell Amazon to end discriminatory practices against pregnant and disabled workers!
