A former Amazon manager claims she was fired from the company after expressing concerns over discriminatory hiring practices and unequal pay.
According to NBC News, 38-year-old Lisa McCarrick filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Monday, about three months after she was fired from her regional manager position. McCarrick claims that prior to her termination, a supervisor asked her to scour job applicants' social media accounts to determine their race, ethnicity, and gender. The woman says she submitted a written complaint in which she objected to the order, as well as the pay disparity between herself and her male co-workers.
The complaint was reportedly submitted in September 2019; two months later, HR and the head of loss prevention had informed McCarrick she was fired because she failed to "meet expectations." The woman says she didn't buy the reasoning, as she received positive performance evaluations since she began working for Amazon in summer 2018.
"During the meeting in which she was informed of her termination, it was communicated to her that her direct supervisor had admitted to utilizing social media accounts for the purpose of ascertaining race and ethnicity," the suit reads. "Plaintiff's protected complaints of race/ethnicity discrimination were substantial motivating reasons for the decision to terminate her employment."
The lawsuit accesses the online retail giant of wrongful termination, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, and violating California's labor code and its Equal Pay Act. McCarrick is suing for damages.
