A contractor at one of Amazon's massive cloud data centers says that the company is putting workers at risk without offering hazard pay

AWS re:Invent/Business Insider

Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy

• Amazon Web Services is the market-leading cloud computing platform, providing the infrastructure for apps like Zoom and Netflix - making it a crucial part of how the world works amid the coronavirus crisis.
• A contractor at an AWS data center facility says that about two weeks ago, the company enacted strict new rules that limit how workers can move around and interact with colleagues, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19.
• However, the contractor says that workers at the facility feel like just coming into work is a risk, and that management expects things to continue otherwise as per usual, without committing to hazard pay.
• Amazon has said that employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine are eligible to receive up to two weeks of pay. Contractors are not technically employed by Amazon, but may apply for financial aid via the company's Amazon Relief Fund.
• Amazon declined to comment on the notion of offering hazard pay for data center employees, or on the safety procedures in place at the facility.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

All around the world, people are relying on apps like Zoom to work remotely or Netflix to keep them entertained while the coronavirus crisis keeps them at home. Those apps, and many others, rely at least in part on Amazon Web Services, the retailer's massive (and massively profitable) cloud computing platform.

Behind the scenes, Amazon workers - some full-time employees; others, contractors who don't receive health insurance or other benefits from Amazon - are on the job, making sure that the company's massive data centers can stand up to the strain.

But a contractor at one of those data center facilities says that while the company instituted protective measures, including social distancing regulations, to help stem the spread of coronavirus amongst employees about two weeks ago, they're still expected to come into work, more or less as usual. That's caused some unrest amongst AWS data center workers, this contractor says, especially with management so far declining to commit to hazard pay.

"With COVID-19, I don't want to say it's not a concern for Amazon, but they're not trying to keep anyone inside at home," the contractor said.

Amazon declined to comment on the notion of offering hazard pay for data center employees, or on the safety procedures in place at the facility.

Amazon has said that employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine are eligible to receive up to two weeks of pay. Contractors, however, are technically employed not by Amazon, but by any of a number of outside vendors - though contractors are eligible to apply to receive financial aid from the Amazon Relief Fund set up by the company.

Amazon Web Services is the market-leading cloud computing platform, ahead of rivals like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, and expected to drive some $40 billion of revenue this year. Analysts have said they expect AWS to come out of the coronavirus crisis in even better shape because so many crucial industries like finance and healthcare rely on it.

Protective measures

Proactive measures have so far included making more disposable gloves and disinfectant wipes available to AWS data center workers, the contractor says, as well as new rules around not standing within six feet of colleagues while having a conversation.

The data halls, the area of the facility where the servers themselves are housed, have been divided up into zones, the contractor says: Workers assigned to one zone can generally no longer leave to visit another.

Still, the contractor we spoke to says that workers don't feel fully protected, despite these measures: It's impossible for any worker to account for what their colleagues are doing in their downtime, and it's entirely possible that they were infected and brought the novel coronavirus to work with them.

"You don't know who's touching what," he said. "I go to wash my hands almost 10 times a day to make sure I don't infect it. There's a lot of things you have to think about. You have to work on laptops to work on the whole ticket workflow. Even laptops you're touching, that's at risk."

'I wish they at least had hazard pay'

Already, there have been several confirmed cases of coronavirus amongst Amazon warehouse workers. While there haven't been any reported cases at the contractor's data center site, that could change. Indeed, the contractor says that it seems like Amazon management won't take any kind of dramatic action until there is a confirmed case at the facility.

"It seems like they're waiting for the last minute for something to happen to you," the contractor said.

The contractor says that managers have discussed the possibility of hazard pay - companies like Costco, Target, and even the Amazon retail operation have offered cash bonuses and hazard pay to come into work amid the crisis.

At the contractor's facility, however, it's been left an open question, and the contractor say that employees and contractors alike are both still expected to report in as per usual. The contractor also says it's unclear what the company's sick leave policy might be for workers who contract COVID-19.

"I'm the only one who steps out of my house and I have a big family," the contractor said. "I wish they at least had hazard pay. All they have is separation of zones."

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