Oct. 1, 2021 "Workers at Blue Origin, Bezos's rocket company, allege sexism, safety risks": Today I found this article on CBC News:
A group of more than 20 current and former employees are accusing Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket ship company of having a toxic work environment and not adhering to proper safety protocols.
The workers claim in an essay posted on the Lioness storytelling platform that there's sexism at the Kent, Wash., space flight services company set up by the Amazon founder.
It's one of only two stories posted on Lioness.co, founded in 2020, which says it posts articles on topics connected to larger social issues and exposing wrongdoing.
The Blue Origin employees, led by former head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams, state that "numerous senior leaders have been known to be consistently inappropriate with women."
They also claim that many company leaders were "unapproachable" and showed clear bias against women.
There were also safety concerns, with the group stating that Blue Origin seemed more focused on beating billionaires Richard Branson and Elon Musk to space rather than tackling safety issues that would have slowed down the schedule.
Bezos blasted into space on July 21, the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a date he selected for its historical significance. Bezos held fast to it, even as Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson pushed up his own flight from New Mexico and beat him to space by nine days.
The group said that last year company leaders seemed impatient with New Shepard rocket's schedule of a few flights per year, instead wanting more than 40.
"Some of us felt that with the resources and staff available, leadership's race to launch at such a breakneck speed was seriously compromising flight safety," they said.
Blue Origin said in a statement that it has no tolerance for any kind of harassment or discrimination and that it stands by its safety record.
The company said it believes "New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built."
Workers at Blue Origin, Bezos's rocket company, allege sexism, safety risks | CBC News
My opinion: This article isn't criticizing Bezos. This is criticizing the company leaders at Blue Origin.
Nov. 3, 2022 "Bezos sued by ex-housekeeper over racial discrimination, working conditions": Today I found this article by Matt Day on the Financial Post:
Jeff Bezos was sued by a former housekeeper who claims she was subject to racial discrimination by his staff and forced to work long hours in unsanitary conditions without rest or meal breaks.
Mercedes Wedaa, who joined the billionaire Amazon.com Inc. founder’s staff in September 2019, sometimes worked 10 to 14 hours a day and supervised a team of five to six housekeepers, according to her complaint filed Tuesday in Seattle state court.
Staff didn’t have a designated break room or rest area and no easily accessible restroom, according to the complaint.
Housekeeping staff would try to eat in a laundry room, and were prohibited from using a toilet in a nearby security room, forcing them to climb out a window to access a bathroom, according to the complaint.
“We’ve investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we’ll defend against them,” Harry Korrell, an attorney who represents Bezos and other defendants, said in an emailed statement.
One of Bezos’s household managers “became aggressive and abusive” with Wedaa, and treated her and other Hispanic employees differently than Bezos’s White groundskeepers and maintenance staff, she alleged.
She was ultimately terminated after nearly three years of employment, according to the complaint.
“Labour and employment laws say working people must be paid for the work they perform, and must be able to to perform that work in a safe, sanitary and healthy workplace,” said Patrick McGuigan, a lawyer representing Wedaa.
Wedaa seeks back pay and benefits, as well as monetary damages, according to the complaint.
Defendants in the case include Zefram LLC and Northwestern LLC, which the lawsuit identifies as entities that manage Bezos’s properties.
The lawsuit was reported earlier by Seattle technology news site GeekWire.
The case is Wedaa v. Bezos, 22-2-18053-6, Superior Court of Washington, King County (Seattle).
Bezos sued by ex-housekeeper over racial bias, working conditions | Financial Post
She must have just received her greem card.
My opinion: This article is criticizing Bezos, and one of his household managers.
This is from my Mar. 2021 blog post:
"#MeToo movement becomes #WeToo in in victim-blaming Japan"/ "Outrage as women in Japan told not wear glasses in the workplace"
"You never look good when you are trying to make someone else look bad."- Unknown
Cham: Sometimes people need to be exposed for who they are hahah or maybe I should stop being petty
Tracy Au: There's a difference between trying to make someone look bad, and exposing them for who they are. It's like those #MeToo accusers and victims, they are plainly telling everybody about the perpetrators. They're not trying to make them look bad.
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