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To: Federal investigators, local and state authorities
Investigate Amazon following its worker deaths
There are reports that Amazon was extremely ill-prepared in the lead-up to the tornado disaster that killed six workers after it struck an Amazon warehouse in Illinois.
1) We demand full disclosure from Amazon of all information related to emergency weather preparedness and the decisions made that day and in days following the storm.
2) In addition to the ongoing OSHA investigation, we demand independent federal investigation beyond OSHA purview, and multiple local and state investigations.
Why is this important?
Last month's tornadoes ripped through multiple states in the midwest and killed dozens of people, including six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, IL.
With the warehouse situated inside Tornado Alley, it's unclear whether Amazon had adequately prepared for emergency weather events. Workers had repeatedly attempted to urge Amazon management to take precautions (such as safety drills), but management didn't listen.
Once the tornado warnings were out, workers were forced to choose between not showing up to work (and facing the threat of termination) and the imperative to find shelter. One worker who was killed reportedly texted his girlfriend, “Amazon won’t let us leave” in the moments leading up to the Illinois warehouse’s collapse.
OSHA has opened up an investigation of Amazon following the six worker deaths, but we know this isn’t enough.
We demand full transparency from Amazon regarding their emergency weather preparedness, as well as their actions on the day of the tornadoes and in the days that followed. We also demand additional federal investigations, in addition to local and state investigations.