Jeff Bezos’s Former Housekeeper Is Suing Him Over Inhumane Work Conditions

Billionaire Jeff Bezos is being sued by one among his former housekeepers, Mercedes Wedaa. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Washington’s King County Superior Court, alleges that Wedaa labored for three years within the Amazon founder’s major residence and different houses. It particulars alarming claims of racial discrimination, lengthy hours, unsafe situations, and different office violations, as first reported on by Geek Wire.

In the case, Wedaa says she typically labored between 10 and 14 hour days with none breaks, whereas supervising a crew of 5-6 different housekeepers. Staff weren’t given lunch or relaxation breaks whereas the household was at residence, didn’t have a delegated break room or sitting space, had no place to eat meals, and needed to entry the lavatory by climbing out of a window, in keeping with the criticism.

Wedaa has additionally claimed that different members of the family employees have been routinely abusive in the direction of her and her fellow Hispanic workers, in a means they weren’t in the direction of white employees. And that when she tried to take any of the above issues to higher-ups, she was retaliated in opposition to and in the end fired below false pretenses.

And in her termination discover, the “defendents cited the ridiculously concocted reason that [Wedaa] appeared ‘unhappy’ and that this was having a negative effect on the housekeeping team,” says the lawsuit.

Between the alleged lack of breaks, inaccessible toilet, racial discrimination, acts of retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage losses associated to the entire above—Wedaa’s authorized staff is claiming 9 totally different causes of motion.

On prime of Bezos, the criticism additionally lists Zefram LLC and Northwestern LLC as co-defendants. The two firms handle Bezos’ private investments and properties. Harry Korrell, a lawyer representing Northwestern, flatly denied the entire allegations outlined within the go well with, in keeping with Geek Wire.

“We’ve investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we’ll defend against them,” wrote Korrell in an e-mail to the outlet.

Another, unnamed supply from Northwestern LLC additionally denied the allegations about working situations to Geek Wire. “There are two areas that serve as break-rooms, and both have seating, tables, stocked refrigerators, microwave, coffee machine, air fryer and snacks,” the particular person reportedly mentioned. “There are multiple bathrooms available for staff use near these break-rooms. Free lunches were ordered for and delivered to the staff daily.”

However, the claims specified by Wedaa’s lawsuit are removed from the primary time that Bezos has been accused of flouting labor legal guidelines and mistreating employees. While the billionaire was nonetheless CEO of Amazon, the corporate’s warehouses have been typically harmful locations to work. Delivery drivers and warehouse workers have been anticipated to fulfill near-impossible quotas. And toilet breaks have been a perennial situation. And a lot of that is seemingly nonetheless true below Amazon’s present CEO successor, Andy Jassy.