Amazon ‘obstructing’ House probe into Illinois warehouse collapse

EDWARDSVILLE, Ailing. — Amazon has been “obstructing” a congressional investigation into the corporate’s labor practices throughout extreme climate occasions by failing to supply supplies requested of them greater than two months in the past, in line with a letter members despatched to CEO Andy Jassy.

The Home Committee on Oversight and Reform, which launched the investigation in late March, had given the Seattle-based e-commerce firm a listing of supplies handy over by mid-April. However the firm “nonetheless has not produced any of the important thing classes of paperwork recognized by Committee employees, not to mention the complete set of supplies the Committee requested in March,” stated the letter, signed by the committee chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, a Democrat from New York, in addition to progressives Reps. Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Sadly, Amazon has didn’t meaningfully adjust to the Committee’s requests, obstructing the Committee’s investigation,” they wrote within the letter made public on Thursday. Amazon didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

OSHA shares findings after twister hit Edwardsville Amazon warehouse, inflicting collapse that killed 6

The corporate’s labor insurance policies throughout excessive climate occasions has been beneath extra scrutiny for the reason that lethal collapse of an organization warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois in December, the place six individuals died and one other was critically injured within the twister strike. Final month, the Occupational Security and Well being Administration wrapped up its personal probe into the incident, concluding that Amazon met minimal federal security necessities for storm sheltering. However regulators additionally discovered security dangers and referred to as on the corporate to enhance its procedures.

The Home letter stated the corporate has not produced any inside communications associated to the Edwardsville twister to the committee, which is doing its personal investigation. “Over the course of practically seven weeks, Amazon produced solely an incomplete set of insurance policies and procedures,” the letter stated.

The committee can also be searching for paperwork exhibiting how Amazon managed its workforce throughout different pure disasters, together with wildfires in California in 2018.

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