An Illinois Amazon driver was told she would lose her job if she stopped delivering packages, despite tornado warnings in the area, according to Bloomberg.
Per the report, the driver said that her base location was in Edwardsville, Illinois, the same location where six Amazon employees died after a tornado struck a company warehouse.
- The driver sent a message to her supervisor 80 minutes before the tornado struck. The supervisor told her to “just keep driving,” adding that “we can’t just call people back for a warning unless Amazon tells us to,” the text messages read, per the report.
- Hearing alarms going off right next to her, the driver sent another text message, to which, the supervisor responded that the situation had not changed and to keep driving.
- At this point, the driver said that she was headed back for her own safety. “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.
- The supervisor responded by saying, “if you decided to come back, that choice is yours. But I can tell you it won’t be viewed as for your own safety. The safest practice is to stay exactly where you are. If you decide to return with your packages, it will be viewed as you refusing your route, which will ultimately end with you not having a job come tomorrow morning.”
- After going back and forth a few times, the supervisor told the driver to find shelter in place because the tornado hit the warehouse and she wouldn’t be able to access it, according to the report.
Per Business Insider, an Amazon spokesperson said that the supervisor didn’t follow safety protocol and should have told the driver to find shelter if they heard sirens.
- “Under no circumstance should the dispatcher have threatened the driver’s employment, and we’re investigating the full details of this incident and will take any necessary action,” the spokesperson added.