Get Latest Business News from All Over the World 24/7 throughout the Year: Amazon employees say they're scared to go to work, but they're not alone — here are 9 big companies facing worker criticism over their coronavirus safety response (AMZN, UBER, GOOG, GOOGL, MCD, TSLA)

amazon protest nyc 7553 Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

The coronavirus pandemic has put most of the US on lockdown, but millions of "essential" workers — even outside the healthcare system — are still showing up for their jobs.
Even as many of their colleagues are able to make a living from the relative safety of their homes, these workers are putting themselves at an increased risk of catching COVID-19.
But many say their employers aren't doing enough to minimize those risks, from failing to provide sufficient protective gear or transparency around their coworkers testing positive, to refusing to offer hazard and sick pay.
On Friday, workers from Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, Target, Instacart, and Whole Foods workers went on strike over pandemic working conditions.
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Around 95% of Americans have been ordered to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. But those orders don't apply to "essential" businesses, and that's created a new category of workers who continue to show up to help the country keep its critical infrastructure functioning.

The definition of an essential business varies across different locations, and some companies have interpreted states' orders loosely. But things like grocery stores and public transportation are almost always deemed essential. And that's revealed a stark divide between workers who are able to work remotely and those who aren't.

Those who often can work from home are often higher-paid, full-time employees who enjoy more robust paid sick leave and healthcare benefits, and therefore have a significant leg up in avoiding exposure to the virus and receiving care if they get infected.

But many of those whose jobs can't be done remotely, such as delivery workers, rideshare drivers, retail, and food service employees, are hourly, part-time, or contract workers who lack access to those benefits — or simply can't afford not to work without pay.

Some companies have taken bold and proactive action to help employees weather this crisis. Starbucks, for example, said it would pay all US workers for 30 days even if they chose not to come into work. Others have made some efforts to step up cleaning procedures, provide employees with protective equipment, or enforce social distancing measures, but many workers still say the steps their employers have taken aren't enough.

On Friday, to mark International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, an unprecedented coalition of warehouse, grocery, and delivery workers from Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, Target, Instacart, and Whole Foods went on strike over pandemic working conditions.

Here are some of the companies that have faced criticism from workers over their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Are you still going to work and worried your employer isn't doing enough to look out for your health and safety? We're looking into working conditions at essential businesses staying open during the coronavirus pandemic and want to hear what concerns you have. Contact this reporter via phone or encrypted messaging app Signal (+1 503-319-3213), email (tsonnemaker@businessinsider.com), or Twitter (@TylerSonnemaker). We can keep sources anonymous. PR pitches by email only, please.

Amazon

Amazon is one of the few companies that have actually seen sales boom as a result of becoming even more essential during the coronavirus. But the surge in online shopping has put additional strain on Amazon's warehouse workers and delivery drivers, who say the company is failing to provide sufficient protective equipment, making social distancing unfeasible at work, and not offering paid sick leave. One worker in Houston told Business Insider: "everybody looks scared, but we can't afford not to go to work."

Amazon workers from at least 25 warehouses planned to walk off their jobs Friday, according to The Washington Post, building on previous strikes in New York, Chicago, Minnesota, Italy, and online after colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.

The company is also facing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over working conditions, firings and disciplining of workers who have spoken out, and a lack of transparency around how many Amazon workers have become infected.

New York City state has opened an investigation into Amazon's firing of a Staten Island employee who organized a strike in March, while New York's attorney general said the move may have violated the state's whistleblower law. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly demanded information from the company about steps it's taking to protect workers.

Amazon has defended conditions in its warehouses, telling Business Insider in a statement that it is ramping up cleaning efforts, enforcing social distancing, and providing protective gear, and that it has increased pay for hourly workers. It has also said workers with a COVID-19 diagnosis will get sick pay (though CNBC reported that some have struggled to receive that pay). While Amazon initially changed its policy to allow unlimited unpaid sick leave, the company ended that benefit effective at the end of April.

Amazon said Thursday that it plans to spend the company's $4 billion in profits this quarter on its coronavirus response. But as Business Insider's Julie Bort reports, not all of that money will go toward worker protections.

Amazon also disputed workers' allegations about a lack of protective equipment, inadequate safety measures, and retaliation for employee activism.

"While we respect people's right to express themselves, we object to the irresponsible actions of labor groups in spreading misinformation and making false claims about Amazon ... The statements made are not supported by facts or representative of the majority of the 500,000 Amazon operations employees in the U.S. who are showing up to work," a company spokesperson said.

GameStop

GameStop, the world's biggest video game retailer, kept its stores operating far longer than most and even argued that its business operations were "essential" because they "enable and enhance our customers' experience in working from home."

Employees still working during the pandemic said proper safety measures aren't being taken to ensure they don't get sick. According to a memo sent to GameStop managers and reported by the Boston Globe, employees were reportedly told to cover their hands am arms with plastic bags when interacting with customers.

A GameStop spokesperson told Business Insider at the time that the company had closed all stores to customer access, shifting to processing digital and curbside pick-up orders only, and had assured employees they do not have to work if they're not comfortable or need to stay home to care for a family member.

But after shuttering one-third of its US stores, GameStop announced in April it had begun to reopen some locations, starting in Georgia and South Carolina, and was preparing to potentially reopen others across the US "in the coming weeks," even as most of the US remains in quarantine.

Google

While Google has been praised for its preparedness and proactive steps to protect full-time employees, some employees have raised concerns internally about the company's treatment of its army of around 119,000 contract workers, demanding better and more clear policies for them amid the pandemic.

"We're working closely with all our vendor partners to increase the ability for their employees to work from home by rolling out remote access as quickly as possible," a Google spokesperson told Business Insider.

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