More than 100 Amazon workers in Staten Island went on strike this morning to demand that the warehouse be closed with full pay to all workers, until Amazon comes up with a real plan to keep workers safe.

Image: Joe Piette, Flickr Creative Commons

Amazon workers have diagnosed positively for COVID-19 in at least 11 warehouses, forcing a prolonged closure of at least one warehouse in Kentucky.

Striking workers say they have no sanitizing wipes, no time to clean, no social distancing at work, and no information about whether coworkers have tested positive.

Outside the warehouse, Amazon workers rallied with community supporters to demand:

• Immediately cease operations at the JFK8 facility and a thorough sanitation of the premises
• 100% pay for all employees during sanitation closures
• Stricter protocols for six foot distancing measures
• Cancel all rate and productivity requirements which limit employee time for proper sanitation
• Full pay for all workers who cannot return to work because of their own or family member illness or out of need to self-quarantine for themselves or loved ones
• Retro pay for workers who’ve had to take unpaid time off over the past month
• Money to cover childcare expenses for employees, given district-wide school closures