Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Committee Members Reps. Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent a letter to Andy Jassy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amazon.com, demanding that Amazon comply with the Committee’s March 31, 2022, request for documents and information related to Amazon’s labor practices during severe weather events following the deaths of six Amazon workers during a December 2021 tornado in Edwardsville, Illinois.
“The Committee’s investigation is of crucial importance to the American people,” the Members wrote. “Employers like Amazon must prioritize worker safety over the corporate bottom line. Our investigation into Amazon’s response to the events in Edwardsville and other extreme weather events seeks to determine whether Amazon’s corporate practices put employee safety first, or whether your company, which now employs nearly one million people in the United States, is merely paying lip service to this principle.”
Nearly seven weeks have passed since the April 2022 deadline, yet Amazon still has not fully produced the key categories of documents identified by Committee staff, let alone the full set of materials the Committee requested in March. Amazon has refused to produce any documents related to its own internal investigations and reviews of the Edwardsville incident, which are central to the Committee’s inquiry. Over the course of nearly seven weeks, Amazon produced an incomplete set of policies, procedures, and communications, despite claiming it was conducting a thorough investigation into the Edwardsville events and cooperating with an inquiry by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After receiving yesterday’s letter, Amazon produced a limited set of documents but has still failed to fully address the Committee’s key requests.
“Amazon’s failure to provide key documents has obstructed the Committee’s investigation,” the Members wrote. “As an additional accommodation, the Committee will grant an extension until June 8, 2022, for Amazon to complete its document production. If Amazon fails to do so, the Committee will have no choice but to consider alternative measures to obtain full compliance.”
Click here to read the letter to Amazon.
Original source can be found here.
