The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents 100,000 members in the U.S., called the deaths of six Amazon warehouse workers when a tornado struck its Edwardsville, Ill., facility "inexcusable," and demanded accountability from the online retailer.
"Time and time again, Amazon puts its bottom line above the lives of its employees," union President Stuart Applebaum said in a statement Saturday.
"Requiring workers to work through such a major tornado warning event as this was inexcusable. At least two workers will never be going home to their families, and countless others continue to be trapped beneath the rubble of the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois."
Edwardsville police said Monday that six people died and another was seriously injured as recovery efforts are continuing after a wall and roof collapsed at an Amazon warehouse in the community during a "weather event" at 8:35 p.m. Friday night.
"The Edwardsville Fire Department is still working to clear debris from the site and working with representatives of Amazon to transition the property back to their control. This transition will take place in the near future when emergency crews have completed their efforts," the police department said in a press release Monday morning.
"At this time, everyone reported to have been at the property when this event occurred has been accounted for and we have no other report of missing individuals. Unfortunately, six people lost their lives because of this devastating event and one individual remains hospitalized with serious injuries."
The six victims killed have been identified and include Deandre S, Morrow, 28 and Etheria S. Hebb, 34, of St. Louis, Mo., Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, Ill., Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Ill., Larry E, Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Ill., and Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, police said.
Amazon representatives are on the site and are assisting in the search process to ensure there are no other victims.
On Saturday, Police Chief Michael Fillback said he would defer to weather experts to determine if the event was a tornado like others that tore through the Midwest Friday night leaving more than 64 dead in Kentucky alone.
According to an article in Business Insider Monday, a spokesperson for Amazon said workers in the warehouse received two tornado warnings in the half hour before the collapse, advising them to take shelter.
"The site received tornado warnings between 8:06 and 8:16, and site leaders directed people on site to immediately take shelter. At 8:27, the tornado struck the building,” the spokesperson told the Insider.
"Our team worked quickly to ensure employees and partners could get to the designated shelter in place area, and we want to thank them for everything they were able to do."
Amazon did not respond to a Newsmax request for a comment on the union’s statement by the time the story was filed.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this," Applebaum said. "Amazon cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk. Our union will not back down until Amazon is held accountable for these and so many more dangerous labor practices."
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