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Mr.

Jeffrey Bezos
Chief Executive Officer
Amazon.com, Inc.
410 Terry Avenue N.
Seattle, WA 98109

Dear Mr. Bezos:

We write to echo the concerns of the more than 1,500 Amazon employees who have publicly
stated that Amazon is not doing enough to support its staff or protect our communities during
the outbreak of COVID-19.1 These concerns have grown with the news that multiple Amazon
warehouse employees in Europe have contracted COVID-19; and, more recently, with reporting
that the first Amazon warehouse employee in the United States has tested positive for COVID-
19.2 While many traditional brick-and-mortar stores are experiencing financial hardships due to
the COVID-19 outbreak, Amazon has seen its demand skyrocket, causing Amazon to announce
that it will hire an additional 100,000 employees to help meet increased demand.3

We write today to strongly urge you to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of your
employees who are also our constituents, friends, family, and neighbors. Specifically, we are
concerned by reports that managers at Amazon’s warehouses continue to hold “stand up” staff
meetings before every shift—meetings that result in dozens of staff crowded together in rooms
for 10 or 15 minutes at a time—in contradiction of guidance issued by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).4 We are also concerned by reports that hand sanitizer and
disinfectant wipes are in short supply at Amazon warehouses across the country, and that some
Amazon warehouses are not receiving any additional cleaning.5 And, we are perhaps most
concerned with Amazon’s stringent use of rate-based write-ups, which have previously fallen
under scrutiny for not providing enough time for staff to take bathroom breaks, and which are
currently preventing Amazon warehouse employees from practicing good sanitary habits.6 While
Amazon has issued guidance to its warehouse employees to frequently wash their hands, they
are not providing enough time for them to do so—for example, it is our understanding that if a
warehouse employee coughs or sneezes, they can either take the time to wash their hands and
risk being written up for falling short of their shipping expectations, or meet their shipping
expectations and put themselves and their colleagues at risk.

Any failure of Amazon to keep its workers safe does not just put their employees at risk, it puts
the entire country at risk. The virus that causes COVID-19 can live for up to 24 hours on
cardboard and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel.7 That means that Americans who

1
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolineodonovan/coronavirus-amazon-warehouse-workers-fear-safety-demand
2
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-19/amazon-confirms-first-covid-19-case-among-warehouse-workers
3
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolineodonovan/coronavirus-amazon-warehouse-workers-fear-safety-demand.
4
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolineodonovan/coronavirus-amazon-warehouse-workers-fear-safety-demand
5
Ibid.
6
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/amazons-warehouse-workers-sound-alarms-about-coronavirus-spread/
7
Ibid.
are taking every precaution, staying home and practicing social distancing, might risk getting
infected with COVID-19 because of Amazon’s decision to prioritize efficiency and profits over
the safety and well-being of its workforce.

We ask that you provide a written response to the concerns raised in this letter, and to the
questions listed below, by no later than March 26.

● What preventative steps is Amazon taking to ensure its employees do not contract
COVID-19?
● Will Amazon agree to cover the cost of testing for COVID-19 for its employees?
● Will Amazon suspend rate-based write-ups until the threat of COVID-19 is mitigated?
● Will Amazon provide paid sick leave to its employees regardless of diagnosis?
● Will Amazon provide its workers time and a half hazard pay during this period of
heightened risk?
● Will Amazon pledge to immediately shut down any facility on a temporary basis in which
a worker tests positive for coronavirus and offer two weeks of paid sick leave to
employees at that facility as they self-isolate?

Sincerely,

/s/ Cory A. Booker____ /s/ Robert Menendez__


United States Senator United States Senator

/s/ Bernard Sanders________ /s/ Sherrod Brown_____


United States Senator United States Senator

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