Amazon Prime Now delivery drivers take the company to court over pay violations
Amazon Prime Now delivery drivers have filled a lawsuit against the company, claiming that they were denied overtime pay, workers’ compensation and fuel expenses.
Drivers involved in the lawsuit say they were improperly classified as independent contractors rather than employees, meaning they were not entitled to employee benefits.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is against both Amazon and its contracted courier service Scoobeez. It takes issue with Amazon’s decision to classify them as independent contractors when the company sets their schedules, jobs and decides which areas they work within.
The lawsuit says that drivers “cannot reject work assignments, nor can they request that their deliveries be restricted to a particular geographic area". It adds that those who fail to do so “are subject to discipline up to and including termination”.
The issue has increasingly surfaced in the last year as companies such Uber have attempted to redefine the traditional employer-employee relationship. Uber is currently fighting a similar case in San Francisco after a federal judge approved a class-action lawsuit involving drivers fighting for employee status.
The lead attorney in the Amazon Prime Now lawsuit, Beth Ross, said that Amazon’s case is not as complicated as Uber’s.
Ross told the LA Times that "These are people who are in no way, shape or form in business for themselves. They’re people who interviewed for a job, were hired for that job and show up to an Amazon warehouse every day."
Amazon Prime Now launched earlier this summer and promises Amazon Prime customers one hour deliveries on their orders for $8 on top of their annual $99 prime membership fee and free for two hour deliveries. Last month the service extended to London and Birmingham with more cities lined up for the end of the year.