Chesapeake Amazon workers say inconsistent corporate snow policy put them in danger
Jan 22, 2025
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Workers at Amazon's ORF2 fulfillment center say the company was inconsistent Tuesday night when it required the overnight shift to report despite the snowstorm, claiming it put them in danger.
The employees' internal message platform, Voice of Amazon, lit up Wednesday with complaints.
"I have a 1-year-old, do you think I wanna drive my son to daycare and risk his life and mine?" one said.
"Possibilities of danger to come from driving on these roads are endless" read another message.
"Higher prices lower availability for uber/lyft rides," was another.
An ORF2 employee who asked to remain anonymous said many of his co-workers use public transportation or apps such as Uber or Lyft to get to and from the center on Portsmouth Boulevard near Interstate 664.
And for those who drove, "a few even mentioned getting into accidents along the way. And the first thing I could think of is their children and families," the employee said.
But the Amazon employees' prime concern is what they see as a lack of consistency. Two weeks ago when WAVY predicted less snow — and we got less snow — the night shift was shut down.
This week, Super Doppler 10 meteorologists predicted more snow — and we got more snow — but night shift workers had to report.
Another VOA message: "overnight lives matter."
In a statement to WAVY, Amazon said that "we're closely monitoring the weather and road conditions in the Norfolk area and are adjusting our operations in order to keep our employees and those delivering for us safe. We've been in regular contact with employees yesterday and today encouraging them to prioritize their safety if they're unable, or feel unsafe reporting to work."