An Amazon warehouse employee in Southern California died from the coronavirus disease, fueling concerns over the company's safety protections for warehouse and delivery workers.
This person, an operations manager at Amazon's Hawthorne facility, died of the disease on March 31, Business Insider has learned. He is the first known Amazon employee to die from the coronavirus disease.
Amazon's spokesperson confirmed his death in an email to Business Insider.
"We are saddened by the passing of a member of our management team in Hawthorne, California. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues," the spokesperson said.
It's unclear where this person first contracted the disease. His last day at work was March 6, as he went on a vacation until March 20. Shortly upon his return to the US, he started experiencing flu-like symptoms on March 26 and was subsequently hospitalized, Amazon's spokesperson said. Amazon has been in regular contact with his family, and all site employees were made aware of his passing on March 31, the spokesperson said.
Nonetheless, this person's death could further ignite calls for Amazon to build safer working conditions for its warehouse and delivery workers. Groups of employees have expressed concerns over the company's safety measures over the past month, staging employee walkouts across several facilities.
There are at least 74 Amazon facilities with employees who have been infected, according to The Washington Post. The Hawthorne facility, called DLA8, is one of the six warehouses in Southern California with employees who are infected, according to a Los Angeles Times report earlier this month. Amazon's spokesperson declined to comment on the exact number of employees affected by the disease.
In response, Amazon has pledged to add some new safety measures, like providing face masks and regular temperature checks for all of its warehouse employees. It has also increased their hourly pay through April and offered paid time off to those diagnosed with the disease. Amazon is hiring an additional 75,000 warehouse employees after bringing on 100,000 new workers over the past month.
Still, Amazon has sparked controversy over the way it handled employee calls for better working conditions. Last month, it fired Chris Smalls, the warehouse worker who organized the walkout at its Staten Island facility. On Monday, it fired three more office workers who had been critical of Amazon's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The company said the firings were not retaliatory.
Lawmakers across the country have been critical of Amazon's handling of workers' protests. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday urged Amazon to provide a safer workplace.
"Instead of firing employees who want justice, maybe Jeff Bezos—the richest man in the world—can focus on providing his workers with paid sick leave, a safe workplace, and a livable planet," Sanders tweeted.
Some of the warehouse manager's friends left an emotional message in a letter mourning his death that has been circulating in Amazon warehouses over the past few days.
"[He] was an Air Force officer, a loving husband, son and uncle," the letter said. "He will be greatly missed."
