Maria Iris Jennitte Olivero, a former employee of Amazon, has alleged that she was fired from the warehouse she worked in simply because she took frequent breaks to go to the washroom. She had joined the warehouse in June last year. In her case filing, she states that when she informed her manager in November, that owing to her condition (irritable bowel syndrome or IBS), she had to use the bathroom frequently, even up to six times in a day, she was asked to produce a note from her doctor about the condition.
She was asked to get a medical certificate within five days. However, since the earliest appointment was scheduled only after six days, she was told that the Company would not tolerate a delay and was fired.
Olivero has filed a lawsuit saying Amazon discriminated against a person with a genuine medical condition or disability. She may seek damages of over $75,000. Meanwhile, Amazon tried to take the case up to the federal court, maintaining that Olivero earned $15.25 per hour, which amounted to $31,720 per year. She was paid $0.60 per hour as shift differential, that is, about $1,248 per year. Therefore, Amazon states that Olivero would have lost about $17,251.75 in gross wages from the time she was fired, to the time she filed the lawsuit.
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