New Jersey's attorney general has sued Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of violating state anti-discrimination laws by allegedly discriminating against thousands of pregnant employees and workers with disabilities in its New Jersey warehouses. The lawsuit, filed in Essex County Superior Court, claims that Amazon placed workers on unpaid leave when they requested accommodations, denied reasonable accommodations, and unduly delayed responses to these requests. Furthermore, the state alleges that Amazon retaliated against employees seeking accommodations, including by terminating some workers, sometimes for "failing to meet the company's rigid productivity requirements" even after accommodations were granted.
The complaint follows a multi-year investigation by New Jersey's civil rights division, which found that since October 2015, Amazon systematically violated the rights of pregnant and disabled employees. Attorney General Matthew Platkin stated that Amazon's "egregious conduct has caused enormous damage" and must cease. The state is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, civil fines, court orders for Amazon to revise its policies, and a requirement for five years of monitoring and reporting.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel denied the accusations, asserting that the company's top priority is employee well-being and that it complies with all federal and state laws. Nantel stated that Amazon approves over 99% of pregnancy accommodation requests and denied automatically placing pregnant workers on leave or unjustifiably rejecting requests. The company also clarified that it does not have fixed quotas and assesses performance based on "safe and achievable expectations," considering factors like time, tenure, and peer performance. However, the lawsuit highlights instances where employees were allegedly terminated for not meeting productivity rates after accommodations were approved, such as a pregnant worker fired for "not meeting packing numbers" despite an accommodation to pack fewer items.
