Billionaire Jeff Bezos sued by ex-housekeeper over racial bias, long hours

SEATTLE - Mr Jeff Bezos has been 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.

Ms Mercedes Wedaa, who joined the Amazon.com founder’s staff in September 2019, sometimes worked 10 to 14 hours a day and supervised a team of five or six housekeepers, according to her complaint filed on Tuesday with a Seattle state court.

The billionaire’s housekeeping employees did not 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 of 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,” Mr Harry Korrell, a lawyer who represents Mr Bezos and other defendants, said in an e-mailed statement.

One of Mr Bezos’ household managers “became aggressive and abusive” with Ms Wedaa, and treated her and other Hispanic employees differently than Mr Bezos’ white groundskeepers and maintenance staff, she alleged.

Her service was ultimately terminated after nearly three years, according to the complaint, and Ms Wedaa is seeking back pay and benefits.

“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 Mr Patrick McGuigan, a lawyer representing Ms Wedaa.

The defendants in the case include Zefram and Northwestern, which the lawsuit identifies as entities that manage Mr Bezos’ properties.

The lawsuit was reported earlier by Seattle technology news site GeekWire. BLOOMBERG