SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey is suing Amazon for alleged workplace discrimination against pregnant women and people with disabilities.
The suit, filed by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, claims Amazon automatically puts someone on unpaid leave when they request accommodations because of pregnancy or a disability. Under state law, Platkin said, employers are required to make reasonable arrangements for those employees to continue working.
“You get pregnant, you ask for an accommodation you are entitled to under state law, what is their response? They put you on unpaid leave. They take your paycheck away, just for asking for what you are legally entitled to,” he said.
Platkin said the company waits weeks to respond to requests for accommodations.
The attorney general also took action against Amazon earlier this week, filing a suit accusing the company of misclassifying some delivery drivers as independent contractors.
“Depriving them unlawfully of rightful wages and benefits and hurting the state’s unemployed insurance fund, among other harms, as a result,” he said.
Amazon is the Garden State’s largest employer, with about 50,000 workers. The company has not responded to KYW Newsradio’s request for comment.