It’s no secret that Jeff Bezos probably doesn’t have a World’s Best Boss mug sitting on his desk. While at the helm of Amazon, the news was full of stories of workers complaining about unfavorable working conditions and being shortchanged on their pay checks.
But now the complaints are getting a little closer to home. Bezos is being sued by a former housekeeper who says she was subjected to racial discrimination and poor working conditions while working for him.
Mercedes Wedaa, who identifies as Latina, joined Bezos’ staff in 2019. And during that time, she says she worked 10-to-14-hour shifts and managed five or six other housekeepers.
According to the complaint filed in a Seattle court this week, Wedaa claims she and other staff members did not have a place to take breaks or eat meals, often forced to eat in the laundry room. She also says they were not allowed to use a nearby restroom. Instead, they were forced to “climb out a window to access a bathroom.” Wedaa accuses one of Bezos’ household managers of being “aggressive and abusive” and adds that the treatment that she and other Hispanic employees received was starkly different from that of Bezos’ white employees. She was eventually fired after logging almost three years on Bezos’ staff. And now she’s looking for back pay, benefits and damages.
But the billionaire is standing his ground. “We’ve investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we’ll defend against them,” said Harry Korrell, a Bezos attorney. Korrell says Ms. Wedaa was pulling in a six figure income and had plenty of bathrooms and break rooms available. He says Wedaa’s firing was due to her performance and had nothing to do with her ethnicity.
Since the news broke that Bezos and Jay-Z are looking to join forces and buy the Washington Commanders, I sure hope the NFL pays attention to this case. Lord knows they already have enough problems on their hands.