ST. LOUIS — Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) has been pressing Amazon for information. Her hope is to file new legislation and prevent Amazon employees from dying in another tornado. Her latest deadline for the company was June 8. An Amazon spokesperson said they made that deadline.
Now, Bush and other lawmakers are reviewing that new information from Amazon, which includes hundreds of pages of documents. It comes after the lawmakers sent a letter to Amazon's CEO last week, requesting "policies and procedures."
Their goal: to understand how Amazon handled the tornado that killed six of its employees in Edwardsville, Illinois in December. The lawmakers also want to know how Amazon will protect its employees if it happens again. Bush said Amazon's failure to communicate for months has obstructed possible legislation that could prevent another tragedy. Meanwhile, Amazon said: "We have produced more than 2,200 pages of responsive information."
“As we have done from the start, we will continue to work with Committee staff on further document production," said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel.
An Amazon spokesperson said they are working on several initiatives to improve worker safety in the event of extreme weather and other disasters, including enhanced drill requirements, updating alarms and signage, and improving emergency response training.
"We had to continue to push this," said U.S. Rep. Cori Bush.
“You know we were especially troubled in talking with Amazon employees to learn that the dangers present in Edwardsville was not an aberration. But it was actually part of a trend, a trend of unsafe conditions, especially in climate-related disasters," she told the I-Team in an interview.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, investigated. It found Amazon's Edwardsville warehouse met quote "minimum requirements." They tell the I-Team: "This should be a wake-up call to employers across the country... and we're calling on Amazon to be an industry leader for workplace safety."
Once lawmakers from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform look over those Amazon documents, they'll continue drafting legislation that could help protect employees during severe weather.