Amazon workers on Staten Island poised to walk out over coronavirus concerns

Workers at Amazon’s massive Staten Island warehouse are set to strike until the entire 855,000 square-foot “fulfillment center” is sanitized.

A walk-out is slated for noon Monday, as workers at the sprawling Staten Island warehouse say they’re worried the online shopping giant isn’t doing enough to protect its employees — or the public.

“We are not safe, and we are carriers of the second wave of this virus, guaranteed,” said Christian Smalls, an assistant manager at the warehouse and a vocal critic of how Amazon is handling coronavirus since a worker tested positive last week.

“We’re not going back. Nobody’s going back until they close that damned building down and sanitize it,” Smalls said. “That’s our objective — to cease all operations until the building is sanitized."

Smalls said he knows of at least two other positive cases, and that he’s been told to self-quarantine after working with one. He said he suspects many more may be working in the warehouse.

“All employers need to prioritize the health and safety of their workforce at this time," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "Unfortunately, Amazon appears to be prioritizing maximizing its enormous profits even over its employees’ safety - and that is unacceptable.”

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