Mahone, who worked at Amazon from July to October 2020, alleged that she was fired from a facility in Bessemer, Alabama, for taking too much unpaid military leave. While Amazon offered her over $47,000 in back wages and an opportunity for reemployment, Mahone claimed the company refused her request to be reinstated. After accepting back pay, Mahone was only eligible to seek liquidated damages, but Judge Pechman ruled she could not show Amazon acted willfully.
Another Worker’s Claims to Go to Trial
Meanwhile, Judge Pechman ruled that operations manager Brandon Tole’s claims in the Amazon military leave suit should be heard by a jury. Tole, who is a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve member, alleges Amazon retaliated against him for his military service by removing him from consideration for a promotion.
Tole, who joined Amazon in 2017, said he had been progressing through the company’s “Pathways” program, which aims to promote service members into managerial roles. However, after returning from military leave in 2021, Tole said he was forced to start over in his pursuit of a promotion while colleagues who hadn’t taken leave moved up.
