3/2/2021
Amazon workers from the LAS7 fulfilment center in Las Vegas, Nevada reported on social media that a co-worker died at work on Monday, falling from the fourth level of the warehouse.
According to NBC News, the North Las Vegas Police Department (NLVPD) said the worker either “fell or jumped,” and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Many details have not been confirmed by Amazon as of this writing, including the name of the individual, but an investigation is underway. Alexander Cuevas, a spokesman for the NLVPD, stated, “Detectives were called out, and cause and manner of death will be revealed by the coroner.”
Many workers at the facility believe their fellow worker may have committed suicide. “So apparently someone committed suicide at my Amazon LAS7. They said he jumped from the 4th floor,” an Amazon worker posted on a Facebook group. When asked about what happened, she wrote, “They [managers] watched the camera and others said he jumped too.”
Multiple workers from the facility took to social media to spread the word about this tragic death. One user on Reddit wrote: “I’m hearing from day shift leadership that he … was in fact a stower.”
Another employee from the fulfilment center wrote that the fourth-floor landing for the stairway is an “unnetted area of our facility, where it’s a straight drop. Nauseating walking on it [because] the net & railing is less [than waist height]. I’ve never known someone who even tries to have an accident up that high. I pray he has a successful journey, prayers to the family & friends who have to pick up the pieces.”
According to these reports, workers were sent home nearly three hours after the incident with paid leave, and those on night shift were asked not to report to work. The text from management read: “Hello Aviators, LAS7 experienced an incident that required day shift employees to be sent home. If you are night shift, please do NOT report to work tonight. All time for days and nights shifts 3/1 will be paid. LAS7 does plan to open with regular business hours 3/2. Thank you and know we appreciate and value you.”
Hundreds of comments poured out in social media from co-workers across the entire United States. Condolences, prayers and good wishes were sent to the worker’s loved ones by fellow “Amazonians” from Baltimore, Portland, Dallas, Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, New York, Mississippi, Michigan, Chicago, California and more.
For many people, the story hit close to home as they related their personal experiences with suicide, mental health issues and the stress of working at Amazon. “It makes me really heartbroken for this person’s family and friends,” one Amazon worker wrote on Facebook. “I know what it’s like to lose somebody to suicide.”
“I struggle with mental illness very heavily and this hit very close,” someone else added. “It needs to be talked about. Someone lost their life today at a place we’re at 40+ hours a week obviously something needs to be addressed.”
Another worker commented on Reddit, “The number of suicides has gone up lately it seems. Just 2 weeks ago I was thinking about that myself because I lost my dream job, I had to put my college classes on hold, and I lost the only close friend I had. I was forced to work at Amazon because it was the only job available. This all happened because of the damn pandemic which I’m sick of but I was able to remain calm and work on my mental health. Unfortunately, some people just don’t see a way out of their problems and decide to end it all. Amazon is already a very stressful job. It gets to some people eventually.”
realfree.news.blog 