New York State Sues Amazon Claiming Discrimination Against Pregnant Women and Disabled Employees

New York State has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Amazon accusing the e-commerce giant of discriminating against pregnant women and disabled workers.

Business Insider reports that New York State recently filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the e-commerce giant discriminates against pregnant and disabled workers. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) released a statement in which she said that the New York State Division of Human Rights filed the lawsuit.

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According to the statement, the lawsuit alleges that Amazon’s policies forced pregnant women and disabled workers to take unpaid leave by denying them reasonable accommodations. The lawsuit further claims that Amazon allowed on-site managers to overrule recommendations made by designated “Accommodations Consultants,” forcing workers to continue working in poor conditions or take leave.

The lawsuit includes specific cases in which it is believed that Amazon violated workers’ rights. One such instance includes a pregnant Amazon worker who allegedly asked to be exempt from lifting boxes weighing over 25 pounds, but was overruled by her manager and suffered an injury as a result.

In another case, the lawsuit claims that a worker with a disability provided documentation to Amazon proving that they needed to maintain a specific sleep schedule. An Amazon manager allegedly refused to alter her shifts to accommodate this despite the relevant medical paperwork.

Amazon has previously been accused of treating pregnant workers poorly, in July 2021 Vice reported that a pregnant warehouse worker who requested lighter duties was denied. The worker also claimed that her manager repeatedly questioned why she was taking longer bathroom breaks.

Vice reported that the woman suffered a miscarriage and was denied medical leave by Amazon at the time.

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