Amazon is facing a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that its absence policy discriminates against warehouse employees with disabilities. The complaint, led by Cayla Lyster, claims that Amazon docks unpaid time off for employees seeking accommodations and threatens termination for excessive absences. Lyster, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, described what she said was a “punitive absence control system,” which she claims intimidates employees into not requesting necessary accommodations. The lawsuit seeks damages for hourly warehouse workers in New York who have sought or intended to seek accommodations over the past three years. Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, a workplace advocacy organization, said that “workers shouldn’t ever need to choose between their safety and their paycheck.” The lawsuit follows a similar case filed by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin against Amazon for denying reasonable accommodation requests.
