Lawsuit Investigation: Did Amazon Try to Keep Colorado Workers Quiet About COVID Safety?
Last Updated on January 12, 2022
Investigation Complete
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter.
Check back for any potential updates and take a look at our open investigations here. The information on this page is for reference only.
Case Update
- January 12, 2022 – Investigation Closed, Complaint Filed
- Thank you to everyone who reached out to us! Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have filed a complaint with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) alleging that Amazon broke the state’s Public Health Emergency Whistleblower Act, which protects workers who speak up about workplace health and safety practices related to public health emergencies such as COVID-19. In Colorado, a complaint must first be filed with the CDLE before a formal lawsuit can be brought in court.
In light of this filing, attorneys working with ClassAction.org have decided to close their investigation into this matter. For our open list of investigations, visit this page. You can also sign up for our newsletter for the latest class action information.
The information below was posted when the investigation began and remains for reference only.
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Team leads and other lower-level supervisors who work or have worked at an Amazon warehouse in Colorado and felt they could not speak up about COVID-19-related safety issues due to their workplace confidentiality agreements.
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether Amazon illegally wielded their confidentiality agreements to suppress discussion about workplace health and safety issues related to COVID-19. They believe a class action lawsuit could be filed over the issue.
- How Could a Class Action Help?
- If filed and successful, a class action lawsuit could provide $10,000 to affected employees and force Amazon to change the way it approaches workplace discussions about public health emergencies.
If you work or have worked at an Amazon warehouse in Colorado and felt you were unable to speak up about workplace health and safety issues related to COVID-19, you could be owed $10,000.
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether Amazon illegally wielded its confidentiality agreements to keep lower-level supervisors, including team leads, quiet about COVID-19-related safety issues – and whether a class action lawsuit could be filed as a result. If a lawsuit is filed and successful, Colorado Amazon employees could have the chance to collect thousands of dollars each and force Amazon to come into compliance with the law.
What Does Colorado Law Say About Confidentiality Agreements?
Amazon is believed to have strong confidentiality agreements in place to prevent its employees from speaking out about nearly everything pertaining to the workplace. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Colorado passed a law stating that employees have the right to raise concerns about possible workplace health and safety violations during public health emergencies and that employers cannot retaliate against or interfere with employees engaging in such activity. The law further states that companies cannot enforce any non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement that “would limit or prevent” a worker from disclosing information about “workplace health and safety practices or hazards related to a public health emergency,” such as COVID-19.
Attorneys suspect that Amazon may not have complied with this law and illegally enforced its confidentiality agreements, potentially threatening those who wished to speak out against certain COVID-19 workplace protocols. This is particularly concerning given that Amazon has come under fire during the pandemic for instituting deficient sanitation measures and “shoddy contact tracing”; putting customers’ shipping demands above employee health; and relaxing mask policies amid a new wave of cases fueled by the delta variant.
How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?
If a class action lawsuit is filed and successful, some warehouse workers in Colorado may be entitled to $10,000 in compensation. A successful case could also force Amazon to change its practices to ensure employees are allowed to freely speak up about potential safety violations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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