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Amazon warehouse worker in New York has died of Covid-19
- lowdose 6y agoAmazon almost has 1 million employees so it would be strange when Amazon would not be hit by any corona casualties. Article doesn't mention the age of the unfortunate employee. It is probably best for Amazon to send everyone above the age of 50 to home until further notice.
- xenonite 6y agoGenerally it will be difficult for older people to find work that is not doable from isolation. Except with an immunity sticker. Because no company would like to take the risk of sending an employee to death. Then, older unemployed might start to attend Corona parties. It’s a tragedy.
- totalZero 6y agoNumbers are tricky things. Amazon doesn't have a million employees in Staten Island. This is the facility where the organizer of a walkout to protest unsafe conditions, Chris Smalls, was fired. That backstory is part of the reason why this particular death draws attention. "So far, Amazon has closed only one facility in the US, a returns-processing center in Kentucky, and only after it was ordered to do so by the governor." I found this very interesting. Amazon performs essential distribution of goods, but perhaps there is a good reason that it has drawn criticism for the care it takes with the health of its employees.
- ls612 6y agoThe death rate in NYC is over 2 per thousand people, and Amazon employs well over 1000 people in NYC. The law of large numbers basically guaranteed they wouldn’t stay at zero forever.
- downerending 6y agoThat's kind of an interesting point. Could a company legally furlough/dismiss/not hire someone based on their age, with the justification that their age made the work too dangerous? And if not now, should this be allowed?
- effnorwood 6y agoThey haven’t.