We invite you to sign onto the attached letter addressed to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, calling for immediate action and accountability following the tragic workplace death of Leony Salcedo-Chevalier at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island.

This letter demands concrete safety reforms, an independent investigation, and recognition of the Amazon Labor Union—who have been leading efforts to protect workers at JFK8. Amazon sets the standard for the future of work. If they succeed in ignoring labor rights, it will embolden other corporations to do the same. If workers win at Amazon, it will lift standards for workers everywhere.

We hope you will stand with Amazon workers and join this effort. To add your name, please fill out this form by May 12th, 2025.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to worker justice.

In solidarity,
Amazon Labor Union - IBT Local 1

Andy Jassy, President and CEO
Sarah Rhoads, Vice President of Global Workplace Health and Safety
410 Terry Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

Dear Mr. Jassy and Ms. Rhoads,

We write to express our deep concern regarding the tragic and preventable death of Leony Salcedo-Chevalier, a worker at Amazon’s JFK8 Fulfillment Center in Staten Island, New York. His death reflects a broader pattern of unsafe working conditions and a failure by Amazon to uphold basic standards of worker health and safety.

As elected officials representing New York City and State, we are committed to protecting the rights, health, and dignity of workers in our communities. Amazon, as one of the most powerful and influential corporations in the world, bears a heightened responsibility to lead by example. Unfortunately, your current practices at JFK8 and other facilities demonstrate a dangerous prioritization of profits over people.

JFK8 has already made history as the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the United States. Workers at this facility have courageously organized for safer and more equitable working conditions, despite facing persistent union-busting tactics, surveillance, and retaliation. Rather than engaging constructively, Amazon has chosen to ignore their calls for change—even as preventable injuries and deaths continue to occur.

We urge you to take immediate, meaningful steps to protect the lives and wellbeing of your workforce. Specifically, we call on Amazon to:

1. Publicly acknowledge and take responsibility for the death of Leony Salcedo-Chevalier, including a commitment to transparency and accountability. Despite Amazon’s attempt to distance itself from this tragedy by categorizing Mr. Salcedo-Chevalier as a third-party subcontractor, Amazon must accept accountability for the conditions that led to his death. This is part of a broader pattern where Amazon consistently seeks to avoid responsibility for worker health and safety by outsourcing labor to subcontractors, particularly drivers, and failing to take direct responsibility for the conditions they endure. We demand that Amazon cease using subcontracting as a shield to evade accountability and publicly recognize its role in ensuring safe working conditions for all individuals in its network, whether direct employees or third-party contractors.

2. Allow a fully independent investigation into the circumstances of this incident and into broader safety conditions at JFK8, with direct input from workers and their union.

3. Implement meaningful and enforceable safety reforms, including the following five key demands from the Amazon Labor Union–IBT Local 1 Safety Bill of Rights:

• Adequate staffing and sustainable workloads: Ensure fully staffed shifts and equitable job rotation practices to mitigate the risk of injury and exhaustion resulting from chronic understaffing and excessive productivity demands.

• Fair and timely accommodations: Guarantee reasonable accommodations and light-duty assignments for pregnant, injured, and disabled workers, consistent with legal requirements and best practices for occupational health and safety.

• Safe equipment and hazard-free work environments: Maintain all equipment and tools in proper working order and ensure workspaces are organized, free of obstructions, and compliant with fire safety and occupational hazard standards.

• Climate control and air quality standards: Provide adequate temperature regulation, clean air, and uninterrupted access to water and rest in order to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and respiratory risks.

• Reasonable productivity expectations and rest periods: Eliminate unlawful or unsafe productivity quotas and surveillance practices, and institute protected rest breaks to allow workers to perform their duties in a manner that does not endanger their health or violate their rights.

4. Cease all forms of retaliation, intimidation, and surveillance of workers organizing for better working conditions and union representation.

5. Recognize all unionized Amazon workers and engage in good-faith collective bargaining: Acknowledge and respect the rights of Amazon employees who have chosen union representation, including members of the Amazon Labor Union at JFK8 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Cease all forms of retaliation, interference, and delay, and begin good-faith negotiations toward first contracts that reflect the needs and rights of your workforce.

The outcomes of this moment will reverberate far beyond JFK8. Amazon sets the tone for labor practices across industries, and your response will either signal a commitment to worker safety and rights—or further entrench a model of exploitation that undermines decades of labor progress.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely and support Amazon workers in their efforts to organize for justice, dignity, and safety on the job. We urge you to respond promptly and substantively to these demands.