Amazon ‘Suspends 50 Workers’ Who Protested, Refused to Work After Fire Broke Out in Warehouse

An Amazon Prime truck passes by a sign outside an Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, New York, on Mar. 19, 2020. Kathy Willens/AP Photo

Amazon suspended 50 workers who refused to work after a fire broke out at its Staten Island warehouse, union leaders confirmed on Tuesday.

Amazon Labor Union noted in a statement on Twitter that the suspension was “clear retaliation against workers who refused to work in unsafe conditions.”

The suspensions came after hundreds of workers participated in a “work stoppage“ Monday night, in protest against ”abnormally dangerous working conditions“ and ”health and safety concerns” related to a fire that broke out at the Amazon JFK8 distribution center in Staten Island earlier that same day.

Union members said that the retail giant had refused to send workers home with pay despite “dangerous fumes pervading the warehouse” and the building being “flooded and filled with smoke.”

At the time, Amazon spokesperson Paul Flaningan said in a statement to Newsweek that the fire had erupted from a compactor that breaks down cardboard boxes at the facility, but that the building had been declared safe by the New York Fire Department.

“All employees were safely evacuated, and day shift employees were sent home with pay. The FDNY certified the building is safe and at that point, we asked all night shift employees to report to their regularly scheduled shift,” Flaningan said. “While the vast majority of employees reported to their workstations, a small group refused to return to work and remained in the building without permission.”

However, some Amazon workers refused to work the night shift over concerns regarding inhaling fumes from the fire and instead staged protests while simultaneously demanding to see the fire department’s report.

One worker also had to go to the hospital, union leaders told the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Workers stand in line to cast ballots for a union election at Amazon's JFK8 distribution center, in the Staten Island borough of New York City, on Mar. 25, 2022. Reuters/Brendan McDermid./File Photo

‘Workers Didn’t Feel Safe Going Back’

Seth Goldstein, a labor attorney for Amazon Labor Union, told the publication that the suspensions of the Staten Island workers were “a violation of workers’ rights to join in a collective action about the terms and conditions of their employment.”

“The workers didn’t feel safe going back to work. They were engaging in rights that have been protected for 85 years under the National Labor Relations Act,” Goldstein said.

Video footage shared on social media shows hundreds of workers at the facility chanting “home with pay” after managers reportedly asked them to return to work following the fire.

Flaningan confirmed in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that a handful of employees have been placed on paid investigatory suspension while the company investigates the situation.

Union leaders noted that Amazon has recently announced a 25 percent pay rise for long-term workers, but that with inflation at 40-year highs, this pay rise would effectively amount to a pay cut of over $1.85 an hour.

Amazon said Wednesday that it is raising the average starting pay for front-line employees in customer fulfillment and transportation to more than $19 an hour, up from $18, starting in October.

The increase will see Amazon’s frontline employees in the United States earn between $16 and $26 per hour, depending on their position and location in the country, the company said.

“Workers are disgusted with the announced plan,” union leaders said.

The Epoch Times has contacted Amazon for comment.