- Amazon said it would provide workers with up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they tested positive or are in quarantine due to the coronavirus.
- But five Amazon workers told CNBC they’ve received no pay or were given 60% of their typical weekly paycheck, despite meeting the requirements for paid sick leave.
- Many of them are now applying for unemployment benefits in order to make up for gaps in their income.
Sharlene wanted to continue reporting to her job at Amazon. She needed the money to pay her bills and support her family.
But after a trip to the emergency room, Sharlene, who didn’t want her full name used out of fear of retribution from her employer, was instructed to self-quarantine. She was experiencing shortness of breath and worried that her weak immune system, asthma and COPD, a lung disease, would put her at risk if she returned to work.
“I thought, if I catch the coronavirus and go on a respirator, there’s no way I’m going to make it off because of my health problems,” she said tearfully. “I would not make it through it. I’m not strong enough.”
Sharlene is one of many Amazon warehouse workers who are currently in quarantine, either out of fear of catching the virus, experiencing symptoms of the virus or after learning they had been previously exposed to someone diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Amazon has said it will provide up to two weeks of paid sick leave for all full- and part-time employees who show symptoms, have the virus or are in quarantine. The company is also offering unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of April.
n France Amazon was trialed for endangering its employees :
it had to close all its warehouses for 5 days
and cannot sell anything but books and 1st necessity items until the 22nd of April
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AC