"Black, Latino delivery drivers in Massachusetts accuse Amazon of racial discrimination", 1 Feb 2017

Amazon is facing class action complaints from eight local black and Latino delivery drivers who claim the tech giant discriminated against them when they were fired under an altered background-check policy...Amazon...mandated that drivers be screened by a certain background-check provider...The firings were based on the drivers'...criminal background -- a discriminatory policy, considering the degree to which law enforcement targets people of color and how Amazon's cuts disproportionately affected minority drivers...The attorneys described some of the drivers' run-ins with the law as years-old and minor.  The complaints allege Amazon has violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws...The company has since claimed the policy is justified and has not shown a willingness to change the policy voluntarily...Amazon spokesman Ernesto Apreza said..."...safety and customer trust are our top priorities, which is why we have always required delivery service providers to conduct comprehensive background checks for their employee drivers," ...The background check process is focused on job related criminal and motor vehicle convictions and does not consider race, gender, ethnicity, religion or other protected characteristics."