Amazon drivers forced to pee in bottles, defecate in bags in back of truck, suit says

Amazon drivers are under so much pressure to meet delivery goals that they sometimes have to urinate in bottles and defecate in dog waste bags in the backs of their vans, a class action lawsuit filed in Colorado says.

The lawsuit, filed on May 22 on behalf of three drivers against Amazon and Amazon Logistics, calls working conditions for delivery drivers “brutal and inhumane.”

Colorado law requires employers to give workers paid, 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours of work, but delivery drivers often work through their breaks in order to meet “harsh” delivery quotas and are not compensated for missed breaks, the lawsuit says.

Amazon contracts with independent companies called “delivery service partners” that manage more than 275,000 delivery workers across the country, according to the lawsuit. While not directly employed by Amazon, these contractors are entirely controlled by Amazon and must meet quotas set by the company, the lawsuit says.

Sam Stephenson, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in a statement that the company “encourages” delivery service partners to support drivers.

“That includes giving drivers the time they need for breaks in between stops, providing a list within the Amazon Delivery app of nearby restroom facilities and gas stations, and building in time on routes to use the restroom or take longer breaks,” the statement says.

But drivers named in the complaint said they had to suffer “degrading experiences” and risk their health in order to meet delivery quotas and to avoid punishment should they not.

Amazon uses artificial intelligence surveillance cameras in its delivery vehicles to monitor drivers’ facial movements and GPS tracking to follow their location, the lawsuit says. Drivers who stop their delivery vehicles for more than five minutes often get phone calls from their delivery service provider’s dispatch center pressuring them to continue, the lawsuit says.

One worker says he urinated in bottles and defecated in dog waste bags in the back of his van in order to keep up with his delivery schedule, the lawsuit says.

Another woman would receive calls from supervisors if she tried to look for restrooms along her route asking “Where are you?” or “Are you lost?” the lawsuit says. She once told a supervisor she needed to find a restroom with female sanitary products available but was told that she could not break from her route, according to the lawsuit.

She also said a supervisor once told her that she should buy a “female urination device called a “Shewee,” which would allow her to funnel her urine into bottles,” the lawsuit says.

The employee would often bring a change of clothes to work in case she urinated on herself during her deliveries, according to a news release from Towards Justice, a nonprofit representing the workers in the lawsuit.

“It’s a moral abomination that in 2023, people working at one of the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the history of the world have to bring a change of clothes to work in case they pee themselves,” David Seligman, executive director of the organization said in a statement.

The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, including unpaid wages, and a change to Amazon’s policies. Class members include employees who delivered packages for Amazon in Colorado between 2017 and 2023.

“We have seen how companies like Amazon prioritize profit over the health and safety of its workers,” Shelby Leighton, an attorney with Public Justice, a legal advocacy organization working on the case, said in a statement. “... we hope that this suit will not only shine a light on the brutal and inhumane working conditions, but that it will also serve as a critical first step in bringing meaningful and lasting policy changes.”

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