An Amazon warehouse worker has died to complications from COVID-19. It was reported in an email from Amazon that the death happened more than two weeks ago, but the online retail company only shared the news recently.
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First Amazon COVID-19 death confirmed; 3 employees fired for voicing out concerns
Gerard Tuzara, an operations manager at one of Amazon's fulfillment centers in Southern California, died from the SARS-CoV-2 virus on March 31. The first to put out the story was Business Insider, from information which they got from an email from Amazon--which was also confirmed by Amazon through the news website GeekWire.
Amazon spokesperson Kristen Kish said in a statement: "We are saddened by the passing of a member of our management team in Hawthorne, California," and also added, "His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues."
The employee traveled over to Mexico from March 7-20 and began showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19 on March 26. He was then immediately hospitalized, and Amazon said he did not return to the warehouse after he arrived in the United States.
It is not clear, however, how, where, and when Tuzara got the virus. Still, Hawthorne's facility, where he previously was stationed, is one of the dozens of Amazon facilities that had COVID-19 outbreaks, so one can't rule out the possibility, as well.
This brings several complaints and concerns about employee health and how Amazon is treating its employees despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon responded to some employee complainants like those from Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, the two leaders of the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice group, by letting them go just last Friday, April 10.
Amazon has fired at least three employees just this month alone. The third employee who was let go was Christian Smalls, who organized a walkout over at New York fulfillment center in which they called for broader safety precautions after several workers in the site tested positive for the coronavirus.
Smalls was fired for breaking the quarantine, said Amazon--which several U.S. senators dispute.
All these disputes and firings have come at the worst possible time for Amazon since it is currently facing immense pressure to keep up with the increased number of orders, as well as criticism on how they are handling the current crisis.
Amazon had this to say: "We support every employee's right to criticize their employer's working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies." They added, "We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies."
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Amazon's response to health conditions
Amazon is rolling out temperature screening stations across its warehouses and fulfillment centers, as well as Whole Foods grocery stores. This is an effort to identify employees who may be ill.
The company promised and said that it has implemented over 150 other process changes to keep their workers safe.
The company's website had this to say: "Amazon is focused on protecting the health and safety of our employees while continuing to serve people who need our services more than ever," and added, "Our employees are heroes helping people get the products they need delivered to their doorsteps, products they might not otherwise be able to get while maintaining social distancing."
