Amazon manager Charlotte Newman sued the giant company for racial discrimination in hiring and accused several executives of abusive behavior and sexual harassment.
In the broad lawsuit filed on Monday in the Washington, DC District Court (read here), Newman, a former aide to Senator Cory Booker, claims that the company hired her for a position that was not compatible with his experience to pay for it. at least, a practice called “unevenness” that she claims is common for black managers. She did a job above her grade, she says, and was passed over for promotions that were given to less qualified white candidates. She says the treatment made her appear vulnerable and harassed by other executives.
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Newman has been with Amazon for four years and is currently head of business development for underrepresented founding startups of Amazon Web Services. Previously, she was head of financial services public policy for the Americas at AWS. She is seeking monetary and punitive damages in a lawsuit she names defendants Amazon.com, Amazon Web Services and three individuals, one of whom no longer works for the company due to Newman’s internal complaints about harassment and assault.
In a statement on Monday, Amazon said it “works hard to promote a diverse, fair and inclusive culture, and these claims do not reflect these efforts or our values. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind and we thoroughly investigate all complaints and take appropriate action. We are currently investigating the new allegations included in this case ”.
Newman is represented by Douglas Wigdor, who represented six of the women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse.
The lawsuit attempts to paint a broad picture of racial discrimination and insensitivity at Amazon. This includes his alleged attempts to crack down on unionization by warehouse workers who are predominantly black and a lack of diversity at the management and board level that violates a verbal commitment to social justice, including founder Jeff Bezos and new CEO Andy Jassy.
In December, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered Amazon to proceed with its first union vote in six years, currently underway at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. The NLRB also discovered in December that Amazon had illegally fired an employee from the Staten Island warehouse after he participated in protests against unsafe conditions and organizing efforts last spring.
Earlier this month, Amazon sued New York Attorney General Letitia James in an attempt to prevent her from opening charges against the company for security reasons at two of its New York City deposits.