Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has been hit with five new lawsuits by women who worked in corporate or warehouse management roles and accuse the online retailer of gender and racial bias.
The women, ages 23 to 64, accuse Amazon of favoring men over women in career growth, allowing supervisors to denigrate them, and retaliating after they complained.
The lawsuits have been filed in federal courts in Arizona, California, Delaware and Amazon's hometown of Seattle. An Amazon spokesperson said the company has found no evidence supporting the accusations.
One plaintiff suing Amazon, Cindy Warner, a former executive, said a male manager openly called her an "idiot" and a "nobody," and said that Amazon terminated her job after learning she had hired a lawyer.
In April, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said his company needed to take care of employees better, and Amazon has said it wanted more people of colour in senior and corporate roles.
Amazon ended 2020 with 1.3 million full- and part-time employees. The company is urging shareholders at its May 26 annual meeting to reject a proposal requiring an independent audit analyzing its "impacts on civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion."
