Amazon driver for delivery was warned she could be fired if her deliveries were not completed during the tornado that struck Illinois, killing six people at the distribution center.
According to Bloomberg’s text messages, the unnamed Amazon driver told her supervisor at dispatch that she heard tornado sirens in her vicinity. She suggested she return to base to be safe, but was threatened with termination by her supervisor.
About 80 minutes later, a tornado struck one of the company’s warehouses on December 10 in Edwardsville – approximately 30 miles from where she was located.
Despite her fear of the tornado approaching and her concern for her safety, her boss advised her to not return to the office without finishing all her deliveries.
If you choose to go back, the decision is yours. However, I cannot assure you that it will not be for your safety.
It is best to just stay where you’re at all times. Returning with packages will be considered as you rejecting the route. This will eventually lead to you losing your job tomorrow. These sirens should be a warning.
Only after realizing the danger, the dispatcher decided to stop responding when the tornado hit the Amazon facility.
An Amazon spokesperson said the boss did not abide by the standard safety protocols and should have never threatened the driver’s employment (Pictured: Recovery operations continue after the partial collapse of an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Edwardsville, Illinois)
Amazon driver informed her boss about tornado sirens and warnings. She expressed concern for her safety, but was told that she would not have a job when she returned.
The driver first informed her boss of the impending peril at 7:08 pm but was told: ‘OK. Just keep driving. If Amazon asks, we can’t call back people for a warning.’
The stunned driver then told the boss that tornado sirens were going off, but the unidentified dispatcher continued to insist she continue working.
‘Just keep delivering for now. We have to wait for word from Amazon. If we need to bring people back, the decision will ultimately be up to them. I will let you know if the situation changes at all. I’m talking with them now about it,’ the boss said.
That was when the driver had enough and told her boss she was driving back to the base.
‘How about for my own personal safety, I’m going to head back. Having alarms going off next to me and nothing but locked buildings around me isn’t sheltering in place. That’s wanting to turn this van into a casket,’ the driver replied.
Her complaints became more desperate as the deadly storm intensified.
‘Hour left of delivery time. And if you look at the radar, the worst of the storm is going to be right on top of me in 30 minutes,’ she said.
Soon after, the tornado touched down near a highway, throwing cars in the air, destroying houses and demolishing the Amazon warehouse where the six workers were killed.
‘I’m literally stuck in this damn van without a safe place to go with a tornado on the ground,’ the scared driver said.
Moments later, the boss told her to find cover after being told by his Amazon supervisors that the tornado hit the warehouse.
‘You need to shelter in place. The wind just came through the warehouse and ripped the garage door and broke it so even if you got back here, you can’t get in the building. You need to stop and shelter in place,’ the dispatcher said.
The driver managed to avoid any harm but her dispatcher may soon be out of a job.
After reviewing the text exchange between the driver and the boss, Amazon said it was investigating the situation.
A spokesperson told Bloomberg the boss ‘didn’t follow the standard safety practice,’ and ‘should have immediately directed the driver to seek shelter’ when they first learned of the oncoming tornado and ‘under no circumstance should the dispatcher have threatened the driver’s employment.’
Amazon is also being questioned for the lack of safety protocols that led to the death of the six warehouse workers.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the deadly incident after workers have reportedly claimed that their weather safety training is inadequate.
Several employees, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were given minimal or no any information on what to do in case of a tornado and said that workers never physically practice drills.
Amazon has faced accusations from its workers describing unsafe and inhumane work practices for years.
The company said its facility was up to code with designated safe zones but that the six workers who were killed were stuck in the section of the warehouse that was hit the hardest.
The incident involving the driver and the death of the six Amazon workers are under investigation by the company and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Pictured: Safety personnel and first responders survey a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on December 11, 2021 in Edwardsville, Illinois)
J.B. Pritzker of Illinois stated that it is possible for building codes to be more toughened in light of the increasing frequency and death from storms.
Experts have continued to warn that extreme weather will continue to increase and intensify as a result of climate change.
America saw an increase in hurricanes and severe droughts this year.
Edwardsville’s tornado was just one of 18 to strike the Midwest on December 10. It claimed at least 90 lives in five states.