Metro

De Blasio orders Amazon probe after COVID-19 strike organizer fired

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Published March 31, 2020, 5:05 p.m. ET

City officials are probing Amazon for axing a worker who organized a walkout at its Staten Island warehouse over a lack of coronavirus safety measures.

“We heard from Staten Island, from the Amazon Fulfillment Center, a specific charge that a worker raised health and safety concerns, raised social distancing concerns, was fired,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a coronavirus briefing in Queens Tuesday.

“The allegation is because he spoke up for the safety of his fellow workers he was fired. I have ordered city’s Commission on Human Rights to investigate Amazon immediately to determine if that’s true.

“If so it would be a violation of our city Human Rights Law, we would act on it immediately,” de Blasio said.

“I should also note that the sheriff’s office did an inspection of the facility to ensure that social distancing is being observed and they will continue to inspect as needed,” the mayor said.

Chris Smalls, 31, a management assistant at the facility, previously told The Post he was canned in a phone call following Monday afternoon’s strike.

“They pretty much retaliated against me for speaking out,” said Smalls. “I don’t know how they sleep at night.”

He and dozens of other employees at the warehouse walked off the job to demand Amazon temporarily close and clean the facility after a worker tested positive for COVID-19 there last week.

They also asked the e-commerce giant to offer paid time off for folks who feel sick or need to self-quarantine.

Kristen Kisha, an Amazon spokeswoman, said “Mr. Smalls received multiple warnings for violating social distancing guidelines and putting the safety of others at risk.

“He was also found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14 days, which is a measure we’re taking at sites around the world. Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite on March 30, further putting the teams at risk. This is unacceptable and we have terminated his employment as a result of these multiple safety issues,” Kish said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office was considering all legal options and called on the National Labor Relations Board to investigate the incident.