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Amazon wins class action lawsuit over remote work expenses

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Amazon wins class action lawsuit over remote work expenses

Amazon workers have a class action lawsuit against the company after accusing it of not paying their home working expenses during the Covid pandemic.

Nearly 7,000 of the e-commerce giant's staff filed the suit in California over their home office costs.

A judge in San Francisco ruled the plaintiffs failed to prove that Amazon had a company-wide policy of not reimbursing employees for internet, mobile phone, and other expenses.

The judge rejected the lead plaintiff, David Williams’ motion to certify the workers as a class.

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The ruling said over 600 of the 7,000 proposed class members were paid $66.49 on average for home internet costs, and some received full reimbursement.

Williams' motion for class certification was declined without prejudice, which means he can re-file it later.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Craig Ackermann, a lawyer for Williams, said he intends to file a new motion excluding the 619 staff who were reimbursed from the proposed class.

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He said: "We are very pleased and happy to accept the court’s challenge to try again for certification following a bit more discovery.”

Williams sued Amazon individually in 2021 and added class-action claims last year.

He claims Amazon violates a California law that requires employers to reimburse employees for reasonable work-related costs.

In January, the judge rejected Amazon's motion to throw out the case. 

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The firm maintained that it did not owe reimbursements since the expenses were incurred due to government stay-at-home orders and not a decision made by Amazon.

Williams' lawyers have filed similar cases against several companies, like IBM, Fox, and Oracle.

Some of those have settled, with companies agreeing to give remote workers stipends of up to $83 per month to cover home office costs.

Source: Reuters

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