28 April 2020

Amazon may have violated New York's whistleblower law by firing a worker involved in a protest over workplace safety, the state's attorney general said in a letter to the company, NPR reported Monday.

The AG's letter said its initial findings suggested Amazon fired the worker to "silence his complaints and send a threatening message to other employees that they should also keep quiet," according to NPR.

The letter, which the attorney general's office confirmed to Business Insider, also said Amazon's safety measures implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic are "so inadequate" that they may violate federal and state workplace safety rules, too.

Amazon told Business Insider in a statement that it didn't fire the worker.

Amazon has come under fire from employees, lawmakers, and labor activists in recent weeks over working conditions at its warehouses and firing of workers who have spoken out about the issue.

[includes company response]