Jeff Bezos's Helper Sues Him Over 'Unsafe' Working Conditions, Without Breaks And Bathroom

The former housekeeper of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has filed a lawsuit alleging "unsafe and unsanitary" working conditions and racial discrimination during her tenure in the billionaire's home.

Mercedes Wedaa, who Bezos hired in 2019 to help care for his Seattle-area property, accused the Amazon founder of failing to give his housekeeping staff rest or meal breaks despite having them work 10 to 14-hour-long days.

"Employers discriminated against Plaintiff because of her race, forced Plaintiff to work long hours without rest or meal breaks, exposed Plaintiff to unsafe and unsanitary work conditions, retaliated against and wrongfully terminated Plaintiff's employment," according to the lawsuit filed by Wedaa's attorney Patrick McGuigan, a copy of which was uploaded by GeekWire on Scribd.

Wedaa also claimed that, in rare instances, they were given a break, and most workers would eat in the laundry room because there was no dedicated rest area. Workers who wanted to take bathroom breaks were forced to climb out of the laundry room window because they were not allowed to enter Bezos' house "unless to perform cleaning assignment."

"For about 18 months, in order to use a bathroom, [the] plaintiff and other housekeepers were forced to climb out of the laundry room window to the outside. Then run along the path to the mechanical room, through the mechanical room and downstairs to a bathroom," as per the suit. "This toilet was used by both men and women, for example grounds staff used it too."

The lawsuit also alleged that housekeepers "frequently developed Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)" due to the lack of easy access to bathrooms.

Apart from the unsafe working conditions, Wedaa said certain managers treated Hispanic housekeepers differently than white workers, adding that workers who raised concerns could face retaliation. Weeda, for instance, allegedly was fired after complaining about working conditions.

Attorney Harry Korrell, a lawyer for the Amazon founder, denied the allegations and said the claims made in the lawsuit "have no merit."

"We've investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we'll defend against them," Korrell of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP said in an email to GeekWire.

Korrell added that Wedaa was "responsible for her own break," adding that there were "several bathrooms and breakrooms" available to the housekeeping staff.