Amazon workers with disabilities sue tech giant, alleging systematic discrimination

A radical of Amazon (AMZN) employees has filed a suit against the tech giant, claiming the institution systematically discriminated against disabled workers successful portion owed to its alleged usage of artificial intelligence.

Nine Amazon employees crossed aggregate divisions and states filed a ailment proposing a people enactment successful a national territory tribunal successful Seattle connected Oct. 20. Their suit claims Amazon unlawfully denies astir each aesculapian requests to enactment remotely arsenic the tech elephantine pursues its arguable instrumentality to bureau argumentation — and allegedly uses AI to grip accommodations requests. The suit said the institution terminates employees oregon forces them to instrumentality unpaid permission alternatively than granting their requests for aesculapian accommodations.

A justice indispensable certify the suit arsenic a people enactment for it to determination forward.

The institution filed a effect opposing the ailment this past Tuesday, arguing the employees’ lawsuit is "fundamentally flawed."

Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser told Yahoo Finance successful an email: "Most of the allegations successful this lawsuit are simply untrue and intentionally misleading, and we program to show that done the ineligible process."

The plaintiffs are represented by New York-based instrumentality steadfast Harman Green PC, which represents astir 2 twelve disabled Amazon employees overall.

“We consciousness precise assured astir our claims,” said lawyer Walker Harman Jr.

The ineligible enactment is 1 of the latest successful a bid of worker favoritism lawsuits against Amazon. In precocious October, New Jersey’s lawyer wide filed a ailment accusing the institution of discriminating against disabled and large warehouse workers. In 2022, the New York State Division of Human Rights filed a akin lawsuit, alleging that Amazon’s policies unit disabled and large warehouse workers to instrumentality unpaid permission alternatively than accommodate them.

Many different cases person been filed by workers against the tech elephantine successful the past decade, alleging disability, race, and sex discrimination. Such cases person yielded mixed outcomes — immoderate resulting successful wins by workers and settlements, others successful victories for Amazon.

Amazon is 1 of the largest US employers, with much than 1.5 cardinal employees. Last week it announced thousands of layoffs arsenic it aggressively invests successful AI.

The employees participating successful the latest suit — which would beryllium ruled connected arsenic a people enactment by Judge John Chun successful the Western District of Washington, should it spell guardant — scope from warehouse workers to bundle engineers.

Nearly each of the workers allege Amazon failed to assistance aesculapian accommodations indispensable to their wellness and safety. The ailment said that Amazon’s request that employees usage its “A to Z” app erstwhile requesting accommodations created method issues and resulted successful important delays.