Amazon founder Bezos was sued by a former housekeeper. The latest court documents exposed by
show that the former housekeeper is named Mercedes Veda, who was hired by Bezos in September 2019 to help manage the billionaire's property in Seattle .
Veda said that she and other housekeepers sometimes work up to 14 hours a day, without enough meals or rest time, and no designated lounge, and housekeepers can only eat in the laundry room.
The indictment stated that at Bezos's home, the housekeepers did not have a dedicated lounge, and the use of the bathroom was not convenient.
In the security room of the mansion, there is a bathroom, but Veda and other domestic workers are prohibited from using this bathroom. In order to use the bathroom, housekeepers had to climb the windows of the laundry room.
plaintiff claimed in the complaint that for most of the time of work, domestic workers were unable to use the bathroom conveniently, which led to them suffering from urinary tract infection .
In addition, if Bezos's family is at home, all domestic workers are prohibited from entering the house unless they are doing sanitation and cleaning work at the time.
complaint states that Bezos's housekeeper manager has a bad attitude towards Veda and other Hispanic cleaning staff, but he is very humble to some other white housekeepers and maintenance staff.
Veda said that she once filed a complaint about the working environment and racial discrimination of Bezos's housekeeping work, but she was later fired.
In addition to Bezos, Veda's sued also includes two other housekeeping companies that helped Bezos maintain their houses and assets, namely Zefram and Northwestern.
Bezos's lawyer Harry Korrell said Veda was fired due to performance issues. "We have investigated these allegations, but they lack basis," Correll said in an email statement. He said Veda's annual income is more than six figures and has multiple bathrooms and lounges for her and other employees to use.
Correll also said: "Veda initially claimed more than $9 million (about RMB 657 billion) and decided to file a lawsuit after being rejected. Given these background, it is absolutely ridiculous to claim that Bezos, Sanchez and their property management companies racially discriminate against Veda."
Veda's attorney Patrick McGuigan said: "No employer can be above the law, even Bezos and their property management companies cannot do it. The labor and employment laws in the United States stipulate that workers should be paid for the labor they have paid, and they must be able to work in a workplace without discrimination, safety, hygiene and health. All employers must abide by these laws."
