California Sues Amazon for 'Ignoring' Subpoenas on COVID-19 Work Safety

Amazon has been sued by California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra Monday to force the online retail giant to cooperate in a months-long investigation for worker safety in its warehouses amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, Becerra's office asked the Superior Court judge in Sacramento County to order Amazon's compliance for the outstanding investigative subpoenas.

Last spring, Becerra launched an investigation into working conditions at Amazon's California warehouses.

As part of the said investigation, he contacted Amazon in August to find out about its coronavirus-related data, policies, practices, and procedures that could endanger worker safety.

But now, Becerra is taking the e-commerce giant to court for allegedly failing to give adequate responses to his office's subpoena in months prior, reported CNBC.

Reuters said in a report that the subpoenas wanted to look into Amazon's sick-leave policies, sanitation measures, and data about the spread of the virus in the local warehouse.

The court filing noted that it had been six months since the AG's office requested Amazon for the information, but "the slow drip of information from Amazon is an insufficient response."

With most Americans being forced to stay indoors or limit time in public spaces, many started moving to e-commerce for their shopping needs.

Amazon Depends on Essential Workers in Pandemic

As Becerra pointed out, billions started to rely on Amazon, which also depends on essential workers amid the pandemic.

"Their workers get the job done while putting themselves at risk," Becerra said in a statement. "It's critical to know if these workers are receiving the protections on the job that they are entitled to under the law."

Without the information demanded from Amazon, the attorney general can't make an adequate determination as to whether Amazon's efforts indeed comply with California laws to protect workers against the coronavirus.

Amazon Puzzled by AG's Court Filing

Jodi Seth, a spokesperson for Amazon, said the company has been cooperating with the attorney general's office.

In a statement, Seth said they were "puzzled" by the recent court filing, in what they called a "sudden rush to court" because she claimed they were working cooperatively for months.

Amazon argued that they were complying with Becerra's requests and said, "their claims of noncompliance with their demands don't line up with the facts."

As for its efforts to protect its workers, Amazon said there had been billions of dollars invested into ensuring worker safety.

Such equipment and technology included on-site testing for workers and providing personal protective equipment for them.

The company said they were a "leader" in letting their workers meet safety measures amid the pandemic, challenging the public to compare their response with any other major employer.

Amazon has added nearly half a million new employees this year, and many of them were asked to work in the warehouses surrounding suburbs and rural communities.

With that kind of growth, concerns on safety started to arise since more than 19,000 of its employees have contracted COVID-19 as of October, but Amazon said they were following state law.

In early October, the company was fined $1,870 for safety violations. However, labor advocates said the fines were too small and too late to motivate Amazon to do better when it comes to worker safety.