Amazon said it fired a protesting worker for breaking quarantine. Lawmakers say that timeline doesn't add up.

• Five senators are pressing Amazon over its decision to fire an employee who organized a strike over safety conditions at a New York City warehouse last month.
• Amazon said it fired Christian Smalls for violating a 14-day quarantine order after being exposed to COVID-19, not for organizing the strike. It's illegal to fire workers for striking in New York.
• But lawmakers say Amazon's timeline doesn't add up, citing news reports and Amazon statements that indicate Smalls' 14-day quarantine would have ended five days before the strike took place.
• Amazon did not immediately comment on the senators' questions.
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In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Wednesday, five Democratic senators are pressing for answers about the company's reasoning for firing a warehouse worker who organized a strike last month to protest working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon fired Christian Smalls, a worker at its warehouse in Staten Island, NY in March after he helped organize a strike. Workers who participated in the strike called on Amazon to provide paid sick leave to all warehouse workers and to temporarily shut down warehouses that have had COVID-19 cases for deep-cleaning.

Amazon insists that the strike wasn't the reason for Smalls' firing - the company says Smalls "had close contact with a diagnosed associate" and was fired for refusing to comply when "asked to remain home with pay for 14 days."

But in their letter to Bezos, led by New Jersey senator Cory Booker, lawmakers seem to poke holes in Amazon's explanation.

The senators cite the fact that an Amazon spokesperson told The Guardian that the "diagnosed associate" in question had last reported to work on March 11, meaning a 14-day quarantine for those who came in contact with him would have ended on March 25. Smalls was fired on March 30, the same day as the protest.

Amazon did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. The company has maintained that it is ensuring safe working conditions at warehouses by enforcing social distancing, cleaning more regularly, and distributing protective gear to workers.

Some workers at the Staten Island warehouse have continued to protest working conditions. They held a second strike one week after Smalls' firing.