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Posted: 2021-02-17T15:08:27Z | Updated: 2021-02-18T22:17:44Z

New York filed a lawsuit against Amazon in state court on Tuesday accusing the online retail giant of violating coronavirus safety protocols in its facilities.

State Attorney General Letitia James said the complaint was the result of an investigation into Amazon starting last March, when workers first complained of pandemic-related hazards. The lawsuit alleges Amazon failed to comply with state health guidelines at a large fulfillment center on Staten Island and a smaller delivery facility in Queens.

According to the complaint, Amazon disregarded state protocols on contact tracing and cleaning and disinfecting workspaces, and enforced productivity quotas that prevented workers from taking proper safety precautions. James office said Amazon regularly failed to identify and inform workers who had come in contact with colleagues stricken by the virus.

The lawsuit also accuses Amazon of retaliating against two workers who raised safety complaints. The company fired one of those workers, Christian Smalls, and disciplined the other, Derrick Palmer. The complaint seeks back pay, damages and work reinstatement for Smalls, and damages for Palmer.

In a statement, James said Amazon and its chief executive, Jeff Bezos, made billions during the crisis while workers were forced to endure unsafe conditions.

Since the pandemic began, it is clear that Amazon has valued profit over people and has failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers, James said. The workers who have powered this country and kept it going during the pandemic are the very workers who continue to be treated the worst.