Coronavirus

State Attorneys General Urge Bezos To Expand Sick Leave Policies

A group of state attorneys general say sick leave policies at Amazon and Whole Foods are "inadequate."

State Attorneys General Urge Bezos To Expand Sick Leave Policies
Ross D. Franklin / AP

A group of state attorneys general want Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to give employees at Amazon and Whole Foods more paid sick leave during the coronavirus pandemic. 

In a letter to the CEO, AGs from 14 states and Washington, D.C., said Amazon and Whole Foods only provide two weeks of paid sick leave to workers who have coronavirus or are in quarantine. The letter said workers should be getting more than that in order to curb the spread of the virus. 

Bezos, the world's richest man, faced backlash this week after Amazon asked the public to donate to a $25 million relief fund to help employees working during the pandemic. 

Amazon recently agreed to offer paid time off to warehouse employees who work 20 hours or more. The company also temporarily increased pay by $2 per hour and doubled overtime pay in the U.S. 

This isn't the first letter Bezos has received about the virus. Last week, four senators wrote a letter to Bezos urging him to give warehouse workers paid sick leave and time-and-a-half hazard pay. That letter was sent after Amazon had to temporarily close a delivery station in Queens, New York, because an employee tested positive for the virus. 

Contains footage from CNN