A federal judge rejected a lawsuit filed by warehouse workers in New York, alleging that Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) created a working condition that put them and their families at risk of getting infected by COVID-19.
In the lawsuit, Amazon New York warehouse workers alleged that the e-commerce giant created a “public nuisance” by worsening the risk of spreading COVID-19. They claimed that Amazon maintained a “culture of workplace fear” by ordering workers to “work at dizzying speeds, even if doing so prevents them from socially distancing, washing their hands, and sanitizing their workspaces.”
In court filings, Amazon denied wrongdoing and called the lawsuit an effort to “exploit the pandemic.”
On Sunday, Judge Brian Cogan of the United States District Court Eastern District of New York ruled that the Amazon warehouse workers should have filed their complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), according to Bloomberg.
The OSHA is better positioned to address the complaints by Amazon workers
Judge Cogan explained that the OSHA, an agency under the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is the proper venue for the worker to file their complaints against Amazon.
