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Amazon was sued on Wednesday in a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the e-commerce giant has used "punitive attendance policies" against its employees.
The complaint claims Amazon uses an automated system to track employee attendance, and then threatens employees with discipline and possible termination when they make legally protected accommodation requests.
"Under this system, employees live under constant threat of punishment if they get sick or injured or need time off to care for a family member," the filing claims, adding that the company's policies discourage employees from exercising their legal rights.
The lawsuit alleges Amazon's practices violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and two other New York state laws governing disability discrimination and workplace absence policies.
"It's basically putting workers in the position of needing to choose between their safety and their paycheck," said Inimai Chettiar, the president of the nonprofit legal advocacy organization A Better Balance, which helped file the lawsuit.
In an emailed response to Autos News, Amazon denied the allegations.
"Claims that we don't follow federal and state laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) are simply not true," the company said. "Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we're committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone."
Amazon added, "Our dedicated Accommodations team reviews each request individually to make sure employees have access to the accommodations and adjustments they need, and we continuously evaluate our approach to best address their needs."
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in New York by a woman named Cayla Lyster, who started working as an Amazon employee in 2022 in upstate New York. Lyster, who has a permanent genetic connective-tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, said in the lawsuit that she requested certain accommodations from Amazon in 2023, including a chair to sit on, which Amazon allegedly delayed.
Lyster claims Amazon asked inappropriate questions about her medical condition, docked her unpaid time off (UPT) and then threatened her with discipline and termination while she was waiting for her accommodation request to be approved.
"Ms. Lyster came perilously close to termination for her UPT deductions while on an unwanted, unpaid waiting period pending accommodation, despite several attempts to communicate with Amazon and explain her absences," the lawsuit says.
Lyster is requesting compensatory and punitive damages as well as a jury trial.
The lawsuit comes after a five-year investigation by A Better Balance, which claims it documented hundreds of abuses against pregnant and disabled Amazon workers who requested time off.
"The case that we filed today is specifically about workers with disabilities, but this is part of a broader issue at Amazon around their attendance and disciplinary policies," Chettiar said.
