The Senate just released a damning investigation into Amazon’s injury crisis, following an 18 month investigation, where investigators examined internal company documents and conducted extensive interviews with former and current workers.

Statement from workers and Athena coalition members:

“The Senate’s investigation into Amazon’s injury crisis is damning, and it demands the full attention of public officials and lawmakers. The report provides crucial evidence that the corporation knows its unsafe pace of work is the cause of life-altering injuries in its warehouses – a link that the corporation has publicly denied for years. Thanks to this investigation we now know that Amazon willfully ignored internal safety recommendations that would have saved workers lifelong pain and suffering. We urge lawmakers and regulators at the state and federal level to use all tools available to finally end Amazon’s injury crisis and support workers who are fighting for better conditions,” stated Ryan Gerety, Director of the Athena Coalition.

“These findings are both infuriating and validating. It’s infuriating that we have sounded the alarm for so long and seen Amazon respond by denying our reality and minimizing our pain — all while growing an already serious injury crisis for the sake of their profits. Some people can go back to work after their injuries and some of them, like me, will never be able to work again because of this company’s mistreatment,” said Christine Manno, an Amazon STL8 worker and Missouri Workers Center member in St. Peters, Missouri.

She continued: “At the same time, seeing the HELP Committee confirm and lift up the stories of me and my coworkers — and the proof of our job–related injuries — gives me hope that we are one step closer to Amazon taking responsibility for our safety. These findings getting published is the result of our organizing. My story would have never gotten this far had I not joined together with other Amazon employees, and none of us are backing down until we win the fight for safer work, higher pay, and a union.”

“This latest report from the Senate confirms again the urgent need for strong countervailing forces to combat Amazon’s growing power and to hold the company accountable for the harm it has caused to so many people. Amazon workers–organizing around the country for dignity and safety on the job–need more support, and public agencies like OSHA need more funding and authority. To turn the tide on this crisis, the best solutions are to build worker power and strengthen our public institutions,” stated Irene Tung, Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst at the National Employment Law Center (NELP).

“Over the course of my three years working in an Amazon warehouse, I have witnessed Amazon put so much effort into evading responsibility for worker safety. My coworkers were the only ones to help when I collapsed from heat exhaustion when I was unloading hot trailers. Not even at AmCare, Amazon’s onsite safety team, was I able to receive some kind of care. The managers’ focus was on making sure the numbers were being met, not mine or any one else’s safety,” stated an Amazon worker in San Bernardino, CA, who did not share their name for fear of retaliation from Amazon.

“The pace of work at Amazon is dangerous. When we’ve sounded the alarm about safety issues on the job, management has responded by punishing those of us who speak up,” said Amazon ATL6 associate Ron Sewell, whose Unfair Labor Practice complaint against Amazon was recently settled with the National Labor Relations Board, stated, “I refuse to stay quiet. I’m going to fight to make Amazon abide by its word when they say that the health and safety of associates comes first. This Senate investigation backs up what workers have been saying all along.”

“Amazon promises to be a place where your disability is not a problem, but in my experience, that’s all just lip service. I’m not the only person with disabilities at my warehouse. I see us struggling, day in and day out, trying to not complain or ruffle any feathers while working in conditions that often lead to further injury,” said an associate at the ATL6 sortation center in East Point, GA who has worked for Amazon for 3 years. “All the while, Amazon gets tax credits for hiring workers with disabilities! They’re happy to recognize our disability when it means money in their pocket, but not when it means accommodating our needs. I’ve had enough!”