Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, unveils a new lunar lander called Blue Moon during an event at the Washington Convention Center May 9, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Mark Wilson | Getty Images
A woman who says she worked as a housekeeper for Jeff Bezos is suing Amazon founder and companies that manage his properties, alleging she endured “dangerous and unhealthy working conditions” and was racially discriminated against by other employees.
Mercedes Uedaa said she was hired by Bezos’ team in 2019 to help maintain the tech billionaire’s Seattle-area property. Wedaa and other housekeeping staff regularly worked between 10 and 14 hours a day and did not get enough food or rest, she alleged in the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court in Seattle.
The lawsuit alleges there was no designated rest room or rest area, and no easily accessible bathroom. Wedaa and other housekeepers were barred from using a restroom in a nearby security room, leading employees to climb through a laundry room window to access a bathroom, according to the lawsuit, which was previously reported by GeekWire.
The complaint alleges that Wedaa and other housekeepers often developed urinary tract infections because they “had to spend much of their day without being able to use the restroom.” Housekeeping staff were also allegedly barred from entering the residence when the Bezos were there, unless they were cleaning.
House managers allegedly mistreated Uedaa and other Hispanic cleaners while being “respectful and polite” to Bezos’ white janitors and maintenance staff, the complaint states.
Wedaa claims she was eventually fired from her role after raising complaints about working conditions and discriminatory behaviour.
Harry Correll, a lawyer for Bezos and other defendants who include Zefram and Northwestern, two companies that manage his interests and properties, said Wedaa was fired because of performance issues.
“We have investigated the allegations and they have no merit,” Correll said in an emailed statement. He said Wedaa makes over six figures a year and that there are plenty of bathrooms and break rooms available for her and other employees.
A lawyer for Wedaa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.