Three Somali women have filed a suit against the company Amazon on the basis of discrimination.
What We Know:
- According to the New York Times, these women, working at an Amazon near Minneapolis, “have accused the company of creating a hostile environment for Muslim workers and of retaliating against them for protesting their work conditions, according to a filing submitted this week to federal regulators.”
- Muslim Advocates, the non-profit legal organization representing the women, wrote a letter in the filing in the suit that “asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate what they argue are “systemic violations” of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” The law prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, among other things.
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As one of the most organized groups of Amazon warehouse employees in the country, the battle between Amazon and their East African workers has now been raging for almost a year long.
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One of the key players in helping these workers is the Awood Center, a non-profit organization. They have organized the workers in voicing their concerns about “the pace of work, accommodations for prayers and what they see as little opportunity for advancement to management. Awood has received funding from grants as well as the Service Employees International Union.”
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They became the first known group of workers in the United States to get Amazon management to negotiate.
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Amazon spokeswoman Brenda Alfred stated “Diversity and inclusion is central to our business and company culture, and associates can pray whenever they choose.” However, she said, “We respect the privacy of employees and don’t discuss complaints publicly.”
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, Hopefully this rules in the workers’ favor.
