Amazon Pulled Into Yet Another Flap Over Wages and Hours
Posted: August 2, 2019
About two dozen night-shift workers at an Amazon delivery facility in Chicago have filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor claiming the company did not pay them for overtime during Prime Week in July.
"We've followed all applicable wage and hour laws and are committed to speaking directly with employees to help them understand their pay," Amazon said in a public statement.
Prime Week is one of Amazon's biggest and busiest sales weeks. In 2019, it fell during a record heat wave in Chicago, that workers said made warehouse conditions unbearable.
The 23 workers involved in the complaint say they were dismissed early on July 19, but promised pay for a full shift.
Celebrated too soon?
They initially celebrated. In an online video, workers cheered when they were sent home. But those high spirits soon gave way to dismay. The workers say when they checked their time cards, Amazon had counted those six hours in the following week's pay period — meaning workers would not be paid overtime for those hours.
Since workers officially complained to management, several say they have seen adjustments to their timecards to shift the hours to the correct week — but they still are not being paid overtime.
In addition, 17 of the 23 workers in the complaint alleged that Amazon incorrectly docked their attendance on the day of work in dispute.
Posted In: Illinois; Wage and Hour Laws
Want to know more? Read the full article by Rich Henson at HR Morning