FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2021

Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259

STATEMENT FROM RWDSU PRESIDENT STUART APPELBAUM ON AMAZON PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL

(NEW YORK, NY) – Today, Amazon and the National Safety Council announced a partnership to research workplace injuries. Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), issued the following statement:

“After spending years pushing warehouse workers to work beyond their physical limits, Amazon’s announcement today appears to be just another public relations stunt. Instead, Amazon can and must be doing more to protect its workers.   

“This partnership will be meaningless unless Amazon acknowledges and is transparent about workers’ injuries and illness due to ergonomic issues at their facilities – something they have consistently failed to do. 

“Day after day Amazon fails to report workplace injuries; and it refuses to allow workers time off when they’re injured or sick.  Instead, we have seen far too many ambulances needed at Amazon warehouses. Workers have been pushed to such extreme limits that they are injured for life, and in some cases workers have even lost their lives working at Amazon. Workers should never have to worry whether they are risking their own health and safety just by reporting to work each day. 

“The root cause of this issue is Amazon’s business model of expecting workers to perform like robots at an unbearable and often unattainable pace of work.

“Workers need real protection and not just more smoke and mirrors.”

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 The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW Twitter:@RWDSU.