Thousands of delivery drivers have filed legal claims against them Amazon on Tuesday, alleging that the company's classification of them as independent contractors rather than employees resulted in unpaid wages and other financial losses.
About 15,860 Amazon Flex drivers have filed arbitration claims with the American Arbitration Association, where 453 similar cases are already being sued, two law firms leading the action said.
Amazon's Flex program, founded in 2015, enrolls drivers in… Parcel delivery With their own cars and Special application.
The company offers the work as a flexible, part-time opportunity that allows people to earn additional income during the hours they choose. Most drivers earn between $18 and $25 per hour, according to Amazon, though how much they charge can depend on other factors, such as their location and how long it takes to complete deliveries.
The arbitration claims filed Tuesday were brought by drivers In californiaIllinois and Massachusetts all have rules that limit the amount of control companies can exercise over independent contractors. The claims, collected over four years by attorneys Joseph Sellers and Stephen Tyndall, argue that drivers should be classified as Amazon employees rather than independent contractors, based on current laws in the three states.
This change will allow Flex drivers to collect unpaid wages because Amazon only pays them for a predetermined number of hours regardless of how long it takes to complete deliveries, according to lawyers. It would also allow Flex drivers to receive overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours a week and receive reimbursement for work-related expenses, such as gas costs and vehicle wear and tear.
Gas and other vehicle costs represent a “huge expense for our customers,” Tyndall said during an interview. He also said that one of the customers represented in the claims worked 7 days a week making deliveries for Amazon during the holiday period and received no overtime pay.
In a prepared statement, Amazon spokesman Branden Baribeau praised the benefits of the Flex program, saying it gives “individuals the opportunity to set their own schedule and be their own boss, while earning competitive pay.”
“We've heard from most Amazon Flex delivery partners that they love the flexibility of the program, and we're proud of the work they do on behalf of customers every day,” Baribeau said.
Tyndall and Sellers say they have so far been successful in seven of the eight arbitration claims against Amazon they have taken to trial. The drivers they represented in those cases received an average of $9,000 in damages.
Amazon's business model is a driven workforce – made up of independent contractors and Third party companies Which allows the company to avoid them Unions – Faces scrutiny and challenges from different angles.
A bipartisan group of more than 30 U.S. senators sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy last week requesting more information about the company's relationship with thousands of independent businesses that make millions of deliveries daily as part of Amazon's service. Delivery service partners program.
in March, Supreme Court of Wisconsin Let us pause for a lower court ruling that declared Flex drivers to be employees — a decision that would allow them to be part of the state's unemployment insurance system and be entitled to unemployment pay if they are laid off from their jobs.
the Truck Drivers UnionAmazon, which is seeking to regulate Amazon drivers, also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board last year challenging how the company classifies some of its drivers.