AMAZON’S HIT
Fed panel backs case by axed COVID protester
David, 1. Goliath, 0. An Amazon worker who was fired after complaining about COVID-19 protocols at the company’s Staten Island warehouse has won the first round in his federal case against the corporate giant.
The National Labor Relations Board said Gerald Bryson’s unfair labor practices complaint against the behemoth delivery business has merit — and that now it’s up to Amazon to determine whether to reinstate Bryson, settle with him or appeal to an administrative judge.
Bryson was fired after leading an April 6 demonstration outside the warehouse protesting working conditions and the firing of a co-worker, Christian Smalls, who had led a similar demonstration weeks earlier.
Workers had complained the company was not transparent about COVID-19 cases on site and was not going far enough to protect its workers from the deadly virus.
Bryson said he was “ecstatic” over the NLRB ruling.
“It’s a victory for all of us, you know?” Bryson said Thursday. “I’m hoping that it stands as a symbol that you can fight against this giant, so to speak. And basically that I want people to know not to be afraid, or to speak up, not to be afraid of these people.”
Smalls, Bryson’s former supervisor, said he was also happy with the ruling.
“This is obviously a huge victory for us, the fact that the National Labor Relations Board is holding Amazon’s feet to the fire and holding them accountable for this,” Smalls said.
“We knew on Day 1 that when they did fire him it was wrong, because he was off the clock. It was his day off and he was using his freedom of speech to try to protect his co-workers.”
An Amazon spokeswoman,
Leah Seay, said
Bryson was fired after demeaning and bullying a co-worker at a protest at the Staten Island facility.
“We believe the facts of this case are clear: Mr. Bryson was witnessed by other employees bullying and intimidating a female associate in a racially and sexually charged way — a clear violation of our standards of conduct and harassment policy,” Seay said in a statement.
Seay also said Bryson “admitted to his actions.” She said Amazon will continue pursuing the case.
“Perhaps the larger question is why is the NLRB is defending a person who screamed profanities and racial slurs at a fellow employee,” Seay said.
But Bryson’s statement to the NLRB said that Bryson, who is Black, had been verbally accosted by a white employee on her break who told him to “get the f—k out of here” and “go back to where you came from, go back to the Bronx.”
Bryson admitted that he had called the woman “bitch.”
Earlier this week, California took Amazon to court to force the retail giant to cooperate with a monthslong investigation into whether the company is doing enough to protect its workers from coronavirus.
“Amazon has made billions during this pandemic relying on the labor of essential workers,” CCalifornia’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, said at the time.
“Their workers get the job done while putting themselves at risk. It’s critical to know if these workers are receiving the protections on the job that they are entitled to under the law.”