Social Distancing Measures
Warehouse workers initially complained that social distancing is impossible, due to the need to work in such a close proximity to others. Only after some workers contracted the virus did the company begin to take social distancing more seriously.
Unfortunately, this has meant punishing workers, rather than improving the situation. In early April, Amazon said it would start disciplining workers for not intentionally maintaining a distance of 6 feet from colleagues. A first violation results in a warning; a second violation can lead to dismissal.
Sick Leave Policy
Another complaint has been that workers are not receiving their fair share of sick pay. Amazon has said it will provide workers who exhibit symptoms or those need to be quarantined due to exposure to the virus with two weeks of paid sick leave. However, some workers report that they have received either no pay or only 60 percent of their regular pay.
Hourly workers were originally not entitled to any sick pay. Amazon has now introduced a new policy — workers can take unlimited unpaid time off through April and those who come to work with a fever are sent home and paid five hours of their scheduled shift.
