Monday, December 13, 2021

Amazon Ignored Weather Warnings

 The death toll from powerful tornadoes that devastated towns in Kentucky is likely to pass a hundred. 20 devastating tornadoes tore through multiple states and killed dozens of people. Affected states included Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Among the buildings struck was an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois. Local officials said that at least six people died from the collapse.

The corporate giant, Amazon, was accused of putting corporate profits above worker safety following the tornado-caused partial collapse of a St. Louis-area warehouse that left at least six people dead.

"Time and time again Amazon puts its bottom line above the lives of its employees," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), in a statement. "Requiring workers to work through such a major tornado warning event as this was inexcusable."

In his statement, Appelbaum called the event "another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this."

"Amazon cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hardworking people's lives at risk," he said, vowing that his union would "not back down until Amazon is held accountable for these and so many more dangerous labor practices."

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