In Alabama, Amazon workers at the Bessemer warehouse are speaking out after two of their colleagues died on the job within hours of each other last month. One of them was denied sick leave before succumbing to a fatal stroke. This is Amazon worker Isaiah Thomas speaking to the outlet More Perfect Union.
Isaiah Thomas: “He had gone to HR and said, ’I’m not feeling so well. Can I please go home?” because, you know, a lot of folks, even myself, we don’t even have enough UPT, which is unpaid time off. Right? And if you go negative, they’ll get rid of you like that. And so a lot of people are terrified of that. And this dude, he didn’t have enough to go home. … And so, they’re effectively telling him, ’It’s either you go home and lose your job or you just stay here and keep working through the pain.’”
Amazon workers told More Perfect Union six people have died at the warehouse this year but that Amazon is trying to stop their stories from being told.