Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island.

Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Amazon, the online retail giant, forced pregnant employees and workers with disabilities to take unpaid leaves of absence, rather than providing them with reasonable accommodations, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by the State Division of Human Rights.

The state's Human Rights Law requires that employers, upon request, reasonably accommodate pregnant or disabled workers, including modifying their job duties.

Amazon, which operates 23 worksites with more than 39,000 workers across the state, including nine on Long Island, employs in-house "accommodation consultants" to evaluate requests and recommend appropriate action. But the Human Rights Division said Amazon's policy allows worksite managers to override a consultant's recommendations, often forcing employees to take unpaid medical leave. 

"My administration will hold any employer accountable, regardless of how big or small, if they do not treat their workers with the dignity and respect they deserve," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. 

Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said the company has programs to support expectant mothers and employees with disabilities.

“While we don't always get it right with a workforce of over 1.6 million people, we work diligently to offer the best available options to accommodate individual situations," Nantel said. "We’re surprised by the governor’s announcement … because we’ve been cooperating and working closely with her investigator on this matter and had no indication a complaint was coming."

In its complaint, the state alleges a pregnant Amazon worker was approved an accommodation to avoid lifting packages of more than 25 pounds, but her manager rescinded the modification. The woman later suffered an injury lifting heavy packages and, after Amazon again denied her a workplace accommodation, she was forced into indefinite unpaid leave, officials said. 

The complaint cites two other cases involving employees with disabilities who were initially granted worksite modifications that were later rejected by an Amazon manager.

In the first instance, the worker sought a modified schedule because his condition required a specific sleep routine, the complaint said. But the employee's manager refused the accommodation and the consultant later reversed the recommendation, citing the lack of a qualifying condition, officials said.

In the other case, an employee who requested a reduction of work hours due to a disability was denied an accommodation, with Amazon arguing the request was not supported by sufficient medical documentation, officials said.

A Human Rights spokesman said the complaint is confidential and declined to indicate the location of the workplaces, adding the problem appears to be statewide.

The complaint asks the court to force Amazon to change its reasonable accommodation policy, train its employees on the provisions of the Human Rights Law and to pay civil fines and penalties.   

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