Amazon will not comply with California subpoenas regarding data on coronavirus, according to the state’s Attorney General, Xavier Becerra.
Amazon has yet to tell California how many of the company’s workers have been infected by or died from the Chinese virus, as well as provide information about how the company is trying to prevent the spread of the virus, despite subpoenas filed months ago, said Becerra, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee.
Becerra filed a petition to the Sacramento County Superior Court on Monday asking the court to order Amazon to comply with the state’s subpoenas to provide that information.
The report added that the petition arrives months into California’s investigation into Amazon’s workplace safety practices, as well as two months after Cal-OSHA imposed $1,870 in fines on two Amazon warehouses in Southern California after they failed to provide sufficient safety training for employees.
“Amazon has made billions during this pandemic relying on the labor of essential workers,” said Becerra. “Their workers get the job done while putting themselves at risk. It’s critical to know if these workers are receiving the protections on the job that they are entitled to under the law.”
Becerra added that his office has received information that “merits looking into” Amazon’s protocols and practices.
While the company is appealing the petition and insisting that its employees test positive for the coronavirus at a lower rate than the general population, labor organizers are claiming that Amazon’s data is misleading.
“It’s not something we knew about, but it’s not surprising given how Amazon has responded generally to this issue,” said Sheheryar Kaoosji, the executive director at the Warehouse Worker Resource Center to the Fresno Bee.
“Just because you’re the second biggest company in the country — doesn’t mean the law doesn’t apply to you,” added Kaoosji.
Kaoosji, who works in Amazon’s Southern California warehouses, added that the company prioritizes getting work done over its workers’ health and safety, and that it can take days for Amazon to respond to workers’ requests to take paid time off.
“A delay of day or two can mean an expansion of an outbreak,” said Kaoosji.
In the petition, Becerra notes that he had sent a letter to Amazon in May demanding information on how many people have tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as what the company’s prevention protocols entailed.
But on August 19, California ended up filing a subpoena after Amazon gave an inadequate and incomplete response, according to Becerra.
And then in October, when Becerra’s office narrowed its subpoena to ask for case and death counts for only seven Amazon facilities, the company still has yet to comply.
“We don’t have the time to drag our feet,” said Becerra, expressing his dismay.
“If Amazon can deliver in next day an 85-inch TV, it should be able to deliver to the Department of Justice the information we requested four months ago,” he added.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.
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