Amazon is again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. This time, five women from the Company’s corporate offices and warehouses, have filed separate lawsuits accusing the Company of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. While two of these five women are Black, one is a Latina, one a White, and one an Asian-American.
A Black HR specialist alleges she was refused a promotion because her male colleagues, all White, claimed she spoke aggressively. Another manager, a Latina, had to put up with a White male supervisor who said that he needed to be cautious while talking to her because she was Latin American.
A gay Amazon Web Services executive was called an ‘idiot’ in public by her White male co-worker. On complaining about it, she was fired.
The fourth allegation is by a 23-year old Asian American employee who alleges that merely a week into her job at the tech company, she was compared to an adult film star by her male manager. While working in Pennsylvania, she claims she was demoted three levels simply because she refused to give in to the manager’s sexual advances, and later, transferred to a facility in New Jersey.
A 64-year old Black HR partner has complained of abuse and racial discrimination of the highest order. She was even called the ‘N word’, she says.
Amazon of course continues to claim that it does not “tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form” and that its “employees are encouraged to raise concerns to any member of management” or via an anonymous ethics hotline with no risk of retaliation.”
