Amazon is going through extra authorized hassle for allegedly robbing supply drivers of their ideas. The District of Columbia has sued Amazon over claims the corporate was “stealing” ideas from Flex drivers. Because the Federal Commerce Fee argued final yr, DC claims Amazon modified its insurance policies in 2016 in order that it could use massive parts of drivers’ tricks to cowl base pay and operational prices. The corporate not solely used “deceptive” language in its response to frightened couriers however falsely informed clients that 100% of ideas would go drivers, in line with the District’s Workplace of the Lawyer Normal.
DC acknowledged that Amazon had paid $61.7 million as a part of a settlement with the FTC. Nonetheless, it stated the federal deal helped Amazon elude “applicable accountability” that included punishment for the injury executed to shoppers. The Lawyer Normal’s workplace is asking for civil penalties for each violation of the District’s Client Safety Procedures Act in addition to a court docket order barring Amazon from implementing related practices sooner or later.
In an announcement to Engadget, Amazon maintained that the lawsuit is “with out advantage” and displays insurance policies modified in 2019. The tech big already paid the tricks to drivers as a part of the FTC deal, in line with a spokesperson.
Authorized battles like this aren’t distinctive to Amazon. DoorDash confronted a DC lawsuit in 2019 over comparable accusations. The meals supply service reportedly used ideas below $10 to switch couriers’ assured pay, however nonetheless implied that these had been bonuses. DoorDash revised its guidelines earlier that yr to deal with the complaints.
The timing of the lawsuit is lower than very best for Amazon, to place it mildly. The corporate simply launched a “thank my driver” function that lets Alexa customers within the US share their appreciation for the courier who dropped off their newest package deal. Whereas it is imagined to encourage drivers, the gratitude will solely be verbal most often — Amazon is barely handing out $5 rewards to drivers for the primary 1 million “thank yous.” As you may think, which may not go over effectively at a time when Amazon has been accused of shortchanging drivers and imposing tough working situations.
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