OUTBREAK AT AMAZON
Tensions rise with nine more cases
There are now nine cases of COVID-19 linked to an outbreak at an Amazon distribution centre north of Calgary where one employee says the company is putting profit before worker safety.
“This company has no respect for employees,” said the worker, whom Postmedia agreed not to identify. “We are replaceable. They are more worried about the profits instead of us.”
He said despite the company’s enhanced safety measures, including temperature checks and physical distancing guidelines, many workers still feel unsafe coming to work at the fulfilment centre in Balzac and are suffering heightened anxiety and pressure.
“We are worried about going back to work despite what the company did because cases are still going up,” he said. “Now the cases are coming day by day.”
He said Amazon customers are ordering more than ever and targets set by the company are rising, forcing employees to work harder while also adhering to safety measures. This is a problem in itself, said the employee, claiming the washrooms are too small to physically distance, as are some parts of the facility.
Jen Crowcroft, Amazon spokeswoman, said the company’s goal is to put employee health and safety first while continuing to serve customers.
“We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site,” Crowcroft said in a statement.
She said any employee who had close contact with confirmed COVID -19 cases will be alerted and asked to self-isolate for 14 days, and will receive up to two weeks of pay.
In text messages obtained by Postmedia, the facility’s human resources department told employees on Saturday that two new cases had been confirmed. The individuals had last worked on site on April 24 and April 27.
“The site has undergone enhanced cleanings since their last day. We continue to take measures to keep you safe ( by) implementing mandatory (physical) distancing, requiring all to wear a face covering, conducting temperature checks and doing more frequent cleanings,” said the message.
But the employee who spoke to Postmedia said many of the staff fear reprisal from their employer if they speak out or accidentally don’t follow safety measures.
“We have more pressure at work and the fear of being dissident, too,” he said.
“They have so many cameras. They are watching us with every step we are taking.”
He said many still want the facility temporarily shut down to ensure case numbers don’t expand and more thorough cleaning takes place. He said workers have access to gloves and masks, but some departments are more supported than others.
Crowcroft said the closure of a site would depend on several factors, including how long an infected employee was working in the building with symptoms and who they came in contact with. She said if they, for example, were only on site briefly or the area they worked in was already deep cleaned, they may not need to close.
Employees previously said they feared the facility would become a major breeding ground for infection, similar to the largest COVID -19 outbreak in Alberta at the Cargill meat-processing plant in High River.
Alberta’s chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw declared an outbreak at the Amazon fulfilment centre on Friday.