Jeff Bezos' former housekeeper, Mercedes Wedaa, has filed a lawsuit against Bezos, alleging cruel treatment. She claims that she frequently worked 14-hour shifts and was instructed to work in the house without being seen by the family.
Here are Wedaa's allegations against Jeff Bezos, according to Yahoo News:
- She and other employees often worked 14-hour shifts without breaks.
- They had restricted access to bathrooms, having to climb out of a laundry room window and walk to another building to use the restroom. This led to frequent urinary tract infections.
- There were no proper resting spaces for housekeepers.
- Housekeepers had to eat meals in the laundry room.
- Hispanic employees faced discriminatory treatment compared to their Caucasian counterparts.
- She raised concerns about unsafe working conditions and the employment of undocumented workers.
After raising these complaints, she says she was demoted and then dismissed, being told she was "unhappy" and affecting morale.
From Yahoo News:
Bezos's attorney Harry Korrell refutes these claims, labeling them as meritless and absurd. Korrell notes that Wedaa was a lead housekeeper who made a six-figure salary and was in control of her break and meal times. He asserts that multiple bathrooms and break rooms were available to staff. In addition, he said that Wedaa filed the lawsuit after her demand for a $9 million settlement was rejected, and he insised she was terminated for performance reasons.
Patrick McGuigan, Wedaa's lawyer, supports his client as a "very credible person" with "compelling evidence" to back her allegations. The lawsuit contends that housekeepers were initially allowed to use a restroom in a security room, but this was later revoked for being a "breach of security protocol."