I’m Strea Sanchez, an organizer with CO Jobs with Justice and a former Amazon worker. When I worked at a Denver Amazon warehouse, I was injured multiple times by falling boxes, which fell on my foot, knee, and more. Instead of support, Amazon’s safety reps harassed me when I reported my injuries. One day, five massive boxes fell from the top shelf–45 feet up–onto my PIT equipment. I could have died. When I reported the danger, management tried to write me up instead of fixing the problem. Over the next six months, I documented 1-6 boxes falling daily.

My story isn’t unique. Thousands of Amazon workers are seriously injured every year. Every time I hear one of their stories, it brings me back to that moment—I’ll never forget the terror I felt after nearly being crushed.

At the National Safety Conference today, I confronted Amazon Reps with a simple question: Why is Amazon’s Vice President of Safety ignoring these dangers and refusing to meet with injured workers?

They said they didn’t know and took our letter to give to VP of Safety, Sarah Rhoads. They were shocked by my story and that of Rick Jacobs, a CO Amazon worker who died at work. Amazon hid his body with boxes and told his coworkers to keep working. Amazon might sponsor a safety conference for show, but their actions after Rick’s death speak for themselves.

In July, we launched the #ExposeAmazon campaign with a Speakout in front of Amazon’s New York office. When workers tried to deliver a letter requesting a meeting with Amazon’s VP of Global Workplace Health and Safety, Sarah Rhoads, Amazon denied them entry. But they won’t be able to ignore us much longer.

Stand with us. Sign the petition to demand that Amazon VP Rhoads meet with injured workers and stop Amazon’s injury epidemic.

In Solidarity,

Strea

Follow Warehouse Life to stay up to date on the #ExposeAmazon campaign.