A former employee of the Amazon facility in Chatsworth sued the e-commerce company Friday, alleging he was forced to quit this spring because the company has “systematically endangered its employees’ health and safety on a daily basis” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Corey Stuart also maintains in his Los Angeles Superior lawsuit that photo sessions were staged by managers to falsely make it appear that employees were practicing safe social distancing. He is asking that a judge find the company in violation of various state Labor Code violations, impose financial penalties and award both punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
“Amazon has not only an ethical, but also a legal obligation … to take appropriate measures to ensure a safe and healthful workplace for its employees. However, amidst this pandemic, Amazon (has) systematically endangered its employees’ health and safety on a daily basis,” the suit alleges.
The plaintiff alleges the conditions he experienced “exemplify what has emerged as a broad pattern and practice of failing to maintain a safe and healthful workplace throughout Amazon’s California facilities.”
An Amazon representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
Stuart alleges he saw managers stage photo opportunities to make it look like workers were physically distancing and wearing masks. In reality, Amazon did not adopt such protocols, nor did the company stagger shifts or restructure the work environment to make those safety steps possible, according to the suit.
“Indeed, plaintiff often heard Amazon managers joking about the six-foot distancing requirement that public health officials have espoused,” the suit alleges. “Consequently, many individuals worked without masks on and in close proximity with one another in closed spaces.”
Stuart alleges he was regularly exposed to maskless employees while collecting packages for deliveries, and claims that many employees had to fend for themselves and buy masks and hand sanitizer.
Stuart quit in May to avoid risking potentially deadly exposure to the disease and has lost money as a result, according to his suit.
“The conditions plaintiff has experienced have persisted throughout Amazon’s approximately 150 facilities in California since plaintiff had to leave his employment..,” the suit alleges.
The plaintiff brought his complaint under the Private Attorneys General Act, which authorizes aggrieved employees to file lawsuits to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees and the state of California for Labor Code violations.