ST. LOUIS — In her latest response to the six Amazon workers who died at the Edwardsville warehouse during a December tornado, Congresswoman Cori Bush is working to protect employees during a natural disaster.
Last week, Bush introduced the Worker Safety in Climate Disasters Act and the Wind Safety Standard Act that would “provide new protections for workers in many contexts to ensure a tragedy like Edwardsville never happens again.”
“Sadly, what happened in Edwardsville has impacted our St. Louis and Edwardsville communities forever,” Bush said during a Zoom press conference Tuesday.
“However, it was not an apparition, but part of a nationwide trend of unsafe work conditions during climate disasters. Black, Brown and indigenous communities are often among those forced to work through extreme weather like Edwardsville by companies that prioritize profits over their workers’ safety.”
On Dec. 10, 2021, an EF-3 tornado hit an Amazon delivery warehouse in Edwardsville that killed six people and injured one more. Federal investigators have said that Amazon’s severe weather policies in place at the time of the tornado “met minimal federal safety guidelines for storm sheltering,” and the online retailer needs to do more to protect workers and drivers in the future.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Hazard Alert Letter to Amazon in late April but did not issue any formal citations. Amazon's spokesperson also pointed out the OSHA investigation found it responded "like any responsible company." There is no OSHA standard for severe weather emergency plans.
The Worker Safety in Climate Disasters Act would prevent employees from being fired for seeking shelter during disasters and offer paid-time-off to those affected by the disaster, as well as require employers to monitor climate disasters and notify employees about them, according to online information about the act.
The Wind Safety Standard Act would require OSHA to create to protect employees who are put in danger in the workplace by high wind conditions, according to the act. It states that there are not consistent and comprehensive protections for employees when working and/or operating machinery in high winds.
This act also would help ensure there are better evacuation plans in place and it would force employers to monitor wind conditions.
In April 2022, a lawsuit filed in connection with the deadly collapse not only alleges Amazon did not change employee work schedules during the severe weather, but that the incident is part of a pattern of Amazon disregarding employee safety and ignoring weather warnings.
In June, Spectrum News reported that the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Dec. 10 incident was being obstructed by Amazon. On Tuesday, Bush said their investigation has still been “repeatedly” delayed by Amazon.
“From organizing an oversight investigation into Amazon, to calling out the union busting and racism in Amazon’s proposed app, I have worked tirelessly to find accountability for their families,” Bush said.
She added that ongoing conversations with workers on the ground, advocates and community members have "showcased” the need for comprehensive labor protections during severe weather.
J Lopez, an Amazon warehouse employee in St. Charles and an advocate for worker’s rights, spoke about his experience with the company over the last three years.
Since the December tornado, Lopez said he has been involved in one tornado drill where workers were still confused on protocol. This past spring, he said there was a tornado warning and employees received emergency texts from the National Weather Service to seek shelter while at work.
“When our workers reached out to leadership over the radio about what to do and if we should take shelter, we were told simply to ‘stand by,’ ” Lopez said.
He said employees were scared and had lost time getting to shelter. One employee was later reprimanded for speaking up during the tornado warning.
“Amazon coaches employees to prioritize their jobs when there is a tornado warning,” Lopez said.
Lopez said he took a job at Amazon Fulfillment Center STL8 because he thought it would be a better opportunity than going back to college and creating more debt. He is a father of five children and after three years at Amazon, he said he has capped out in pay raises and will not receive any more.
“Amazon treats workers like numbers on a spreadsheet like we’re disposable,” Lopez said.
By congress taking action, he said it would force Amazon to put safety first.
Spectrum News has reached out to Amazon for comment and has yet to respond.
For more information about the Worker Safety in Climate Disasters Act, click here. For more information about the Wind Safety Standard Act, click here.