A federal judge in New York has ruled that Amazon must comply with a subpoena issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is investigating allegations of pregnancy discrimination against warehouse workers, according to Reuters.
U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield dismissed Amazon's objections that the subpoena was overly broad and irrelevant, citing the necessity of the requested data for the EEOC's investigation.
Amazon Discrimination Against Pregnant Warehouse Workers
The EEOC's probe stems from complaints filed by five women who allege experiencing discrimination based on pregnancy while working at Amazon facilities in multiple states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, and California.
The commission is specifically interested in records detailing requests made by pregnant workers for accommodations such as reduced lifting duties and additional break times, and whether Amazon granted or denied these requests.
Court documents indicate that Amazon provided over 200,000 pages of data in response to the subpoena but did not include the specific information the EEOC sought. Judge Schofield's stated that the withheld information is crucial for the EEOC to determine whether Amazon violated anti-discrimination laws.
The ruling gives Amazon until August 9 to comply with the subpoena.
This isn't the first time Amazon got caught violating labor laws.
Business Insider reported that in 2022, a state agency in New York filed a complaint alleging that Amazon forced pregnant and disabled warehouse employees to take unpaid leaves instead of providing necessary accommodations, an accusation Amazon denies while acknowledging room for improvement in its practices.
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