Former Bezos housekeeper sues for racial bias and long hours

Bloomberg — A former housekeeper for Jeff Bezos has filed a lawsuit against him, arguing that She was subjected to racial discrimination by her staff and forced to work long hours in unhealthy conditions, without breaks to eat or rest.

Mercedes Wedaa, who joined the staff of the founder of Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) in September 2014, came to work between 10 and 14 hours a day and supervise a team of five or six domestic workersaccording to his filing Tuesday before a Seattle court.

Staff did not have a designated place to take breaks or accessible restrooms, according to the filing. He also says that they used to eat in the room to do laundry and were prohibited from using the bathroom in a nearby security room, which meant they had to climb out a window to access a bathroom.

“We have investigated these claims, they are without merit, and we will defend against them,” Harry Korrell, an attorney representing Bezos and other defendants, said in an emailed statement.

One of Bezos’s house staff managers “became aggressive and abusive” toward Wedaa, treating her and other Hispanic employees differently from Bezos’s white gardeners and handymen, she alleged. She was finally fired after nearly three years of employment, according to the lawsuit.

“Labor and employment laws say that workers should be paid for the work they do, and they should be able to do that work in a safe, hygienic and healthy workplace,” said Patrick McGuigan, an attorney representing Wedaa. .

According to the lawsuit, Wedaa is seeking back wages and benefits, as well as compensation for damages.

The defendants in the case include Zefram LLC and Northwestern LLC, which the lawsuit identifies as entities managing Bezos’ properties.

The lawsuit was previously reported by the Seattle tech news site. GeekWire.

The case is Wedaa v. Bezos, 22-2-18053-6, Superior Court of Washington, King County (Seattle).

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