【USA Archives】
Amazon warehouse staff in Staten Island walked out of work Monday morning to protest the lack of COVID-19 protections for employees still plugging away during the outbreak.
Personnel at the facility—where someone recently tested positive for the virus—will "cease all operations" until their demands are USA Archivesheard, management assistant and lead strike organizer Chris Smalls told CNBC.
In a statement to the news site, Amazon said it is "supporting the individual in quarantine" and asked that anyone in contact with them stay home with pay for two weeks. The facility, known as JFK8, remains open. "We are following all guidelines from local health officials and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site," a company spokesperson said.
But a declaration from on high isn't enough for those folks on the ground. Smalls hopes to pressure Amazon into closing the 855,000-square-foot facility for cleaning while offering all 4,500 employees paid time off. "Since the building won't close by itself, we're going to have to force [Amazon's] hand," Smalls said. "We will not return until the building gets sanitized."
"These accusations are simply unfounded. Our employees are heroes fighting for their communities and helping people get critical items they need in this crisis," Amazon told PCMag in an emailed statement. "Like all businesses grappling with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we are working hard to keep employees safe while serving communities and the most vulnerable. We [are] tripling down on deep cleaning, procuring safety supplies that are available, and changing processes to ensure those in our buildings are keeping safe distances. The truth is the vast majority of employees continue to show up and do the heroic work of delivering for customers every day."
Amazon recently implemented daily temperature screenings at its Staten Island location, and has been consulting with health authorities and medical experts on how to handle building closures for deep cleaning. At least 13 facilities have reported cases of coronavirus. Smalls—who previously disclosed to management poor warehouse conditions and a lack of essential supplies—is currently on a 14-day self-quarantine (with full pay for two weeks) after coming in contact with the supervisor who tested positive.
Search
Categories
Latest Posts
Operation Mensch
2025-06-26 05:07Cuteness for Fun and Profit
2025-06-26 04:58We’re Bringing Back Our #ReadEverywhere Contest
2025-06-26 04:46Tough Cookies, and Other News
2025-06-26 04:35Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24
2025-06-26 04:04Popular Posts
Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
2025-06-26 05:32The Occult Experiments of Borges and Xul Solar
2025-06-26 03:36Souvenirs of a Life: Collages by John Ashbery & Guy Maddin
2025-06-26 03:29My Mother Called to Ask How Much to Tip on a Haircut...
2025-06-26 03:05How to Easily Make iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes
2025-06-26 02:52Featured Posts
How to Easily Make iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes
2025-06-26 04:54Linda Rosenkrantz on Her Book “Talk,” Fifty Years Later
2025-06-26 04:04The Difference Between Burnout and Writer’s Block
2025-06-26 03:57Why I Like Boiling Eggs
2025-06-26 03:42Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
2025-06-26 03:36Popular Articles
Outdoor speaker deal: Save $20 on the Soundcore Boom 2
2025-06-26 05:21#ReadEverywhere, Even in the Clouds
2025-06-26 05:12Listen: An Archival Interview with Czeslaw Milosz
2025-06-26 04:38An Encounter at the Airport
2025-06-26 03:25Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.
Comments (2963)
Style Information Network
Best robot vacuum deal: Save $140 on roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum
2025-06-26 04:51Expressing Aspiration Information Network
Bots Are Writing Poetry, So Humans Can Hang Up Our Hats
2025-06-26 04:21Evergreen Information Network
Why I Like Boiling Eggs
2025-06-26 04:21Passion Information Network
100 Billboards Celebrate the Allure of the West
2025-06-26 04:09Fresh Information Network
Exceptionally rare radio sources detected in the distant universe
2025-06-26 03:17