Local Amazon Worker Fights To Get Thanksgiving Day Off
STOUGHTON (CBS) - Camille Carrigan would like to be at home with family for Thanksgiving, not sorting packages at Amazon's Stoughton warehouse where she has a part-time job.
"I feel very strongly that businesses like Amazon that are million dollar companies can give their employees two days off a year," Carrigan tells WBZ-TV.
The other day is Christmas and under Massachusetts Blue Laws retail stores must close on the two major holidays. Amazon may be online, but Carrigan believes it's a retailer just the same and the warehouse shouldn't be open Thursday.
"To me the sort center is part of the retail business so without those employees they wouldn't have a retail business," she says.
Amazon claims the warehouse is exempt from holiday closing laws because it's not a store to shop but a transportation hub where packages are loaded and unloaded on trucks.
Carrigan doubts that will be happening on Thanksgiving.
"I asked why if UPS and the Postal Service are not operating why we're opening. The packages as far as I can tell aren't going to be moving anywhere that day."
She's appealed to Attorney General Maura Healey, but action doesn't seem likely since Healey will only say she just received the complaint and is taking a look at it.
Carrigan hopes her stand doesn't cost her job. "This needs to be addressed," she says.
Amazon spokesperson Aaron Toso sent WBZ-TV the following statement:
"Our facility in Stoughton is a transportation hub, which unloads packages, sorts them, and re-loads the packages for delivery. It is not a store or shop, and it does not offer retail goods for sale.
While the Blue Law does not apply to this facility, associates still have the ability to use their leave and are not required to work on Thanksgiving. To be clear, the associate is not required to work on Thanksgiving."
