Iesha Conley

I worked at Amazon’s fulfillment warehouse JFK8 as a full-time picker. In November of 2020, while picking items on a ladder, I slipped and fell on my side, hitting my left knee, right arm, and right shoulder. I was taken to the [Amazon in-house clinic] AmCare office and examined by a safety team member who told me there was nothing they could do; they just gave me Biofreeze ointment and aspirin and told me to go back to work. I went back to work, finished my shift and went home in pain.

The next day, I woke up in just as much pain, so I went to the ER where I was diagnosed with a meniscus tear in my left knee. I was told to see my doctor as soon as possible to repair my tear and given a note not to return to work for three days. I reported all of this to my Area Manager and uploaded documentation to the Amazon A to Z app. I returned to work after three days.

When I saw my doctor one week later, he told me I needed surgery and that I should stop working immediately. He also told me to go back to submit a workers’ compensation claim to cover the surgery and related costs. I called Amazon’s HR office, but the HR representative refused to file a workers’ compensation claim. Rather, he told me that I could either resign or be fired.

I tried to work through the pain for a couple of months. I exhausted my PTO and UPT that I was using so I could rest in between my scheduled shifts. Eventually, I applied for workers’ compensation by myself through the A to Z app and it was initially approved, but then denied. I was able to receive physical therapy, but that care was also interrupted because my workers’ compensation claim was denied. Amazon then terminated me because I couldn’t perform my job duties.

After a year, I applied to work at another Amazon facility in Connecticut and was hired. I still hadn’t had surgery because the workers’ compensation claim was denied, so I was still in constant pain. After a couple of months, my doctor requested that I be placed on light duty because my condition worsened. I requested an accommodation and was denied, so I submitted a request for short-term disability through the Amazon A to Z app. I was placed on leave and then terminated again.

I just wanted Amazon to do the right thing by paying for my surgery and aftercare, but they failed me. I eventually got the surgery done through state-funded insurance after suffering from constant pain for years.