An Amazon warehouse employee in Northeastern Illinois has died from the coronavirus, the company confirmed.
The employee, who worked at Amazon's Waukegan, Illinois, warehouse, known as MDW8, died of the virus on April 18. The worker, who was 50 years old, is survived by a wife and seven children. The employee worked the night shift as a picker, which involves picking items from the facility's shelves and preparing them for shipment, among other duties.
"We are saddened by the loss of one of our associates in Waukegan, Illinois," Amazon spokeswoman Lisa Levandowski told CNBC. "Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones, and we stand with his colleagues.".
The worker's death comes as Amazon warehouse employees have expressed concerns that the company is not doing enough to protect them from contracting the coronavirus while on the job. Workers have also criticized how Amazon handles people who test positive for the virus and work at its facilities, with some arguing that it should close those warehouses and do more to make sure workers are informed.
It is unclear how or when the employee contracted the coronavirus. The worker was last at the facility on March 19, at which time he had not reported any symptoms, Amazon said. The company was notified that the employee tested positive for the coronavirus on March 24.
Amazon declined to comment on how many warehouse employees have died from the coronavirus nationwide. The Illinois worker's death marks the fourth known case of an Amazon employee dying from the virus, following reports of deaths in Staten Island, New York.
The company has not released the total number of employees who have tested positive for the virus and work at its facilities. As a result, Amazon employees have tried to maintain an unofficial count of confirmed and unconfirmed cases nationwide, with one user estimating that at least 400 employees have contracted the coronavirus. The United for Respect task force has created a crowd-sourced tracking map showing the number of positive cases at Amazon facilities in the U.S.Amazon operates 175 warehouses across the country, and some warehouses have reported dozens of cases.
Tensions are rising between Amazon and warehouse workers nationwide as the number of confirmed cases and deaths at facilities has risen. Warehouse workers have called on the company to implement more safety and security measures, including providing paid sick leave and closing facilities with positive cases for additional cleaning.
Amazon has said in the past that it has gone to great lengths to keep its facilities clean and ensure that employees are following necessary precautions, such as washing their hands, using hand sanitizer and practicing social distancing. It has also started taking employees’ temperatures when they arrive at work and providing them with face masks. In the company’s latest earnings , Amazon said it would invest its expected $4 billion in second-quarter earnings into efforts related to the coronavirus disease, such as purchasing additional safety gear for workers and developing coronavirus tests, among other things.
But Amazon workers continue to argue that the company is not doing enough to protect them. Workers have staged at least three strikes at local warehouses and have joined nationwide strikes to demand more safety against the virus.
Amazon workers told CNBC they have become paranoid that managers are not being honest about whether workers are sick with the virus. Additionally, when there are confirmed cases or deaths at their facilities, workers say Amazon doesn't notify them quickly enough.
Amazon said it promptly notified MDW8 employees of the worker's death and also extended its support to his family.
The company’s process for notifying employees of a death at a facility is inherently slower than the process of announcing a confirmed case. Amazon said it notifies employees via text or phone when there are positive cases at a facility. When an employee dies, the company gradually gathers employees into small groups to notify them. Amazon notifies employees of a coworker’s death in person, rather than by phone, in an effort to reduce fear and so that managers can inform employees about counseling services in case they need additional support.
Because of the coronavirus, Amazon has made staggered changes to its facilities to prevent overcrowding, which means some employees may learn of a death at the facility before others, Amazon said. That's likely to cause confusion among employees who hear about a death from a coworker before they receive an official announcement from the company.
An MDW8 employee disputed Amazon's comment that all employees at the facility were notified of the person's death.
The employee said he has spoken with colleagues at his facility who, as of Tuesday, were unaware that a person had died from the virus at MDW8. Instead of notifying the entire building, a manager at the facility only notified workers who were on the same shift as the person, the employee said.
