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Amazon is under fire from more than 200 disabled corporate employees who say the company is using artificial intelligence systems that fail to comply with US disability laws and suppress workplace organizing efforts.
In a recent letter sent to Amazon executives, including CEO Andy Jassy, the employees alleged the company’s current policies and practices violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The 33-page letter claims that accommodation requests are denied through “automated” or “semi-automated” systems and raises concerns over return-to-office mandates being applied to disabled workers who had been permitted to work remotely.
“Employees requesting accommodations often encounter a lack of meaningful dialogue – requests are ignored, denied without explanation, or dismissed via automated systems,” the letter stated.
The letter also cited internal polls showing that 93% of respondents with disabilities said current policies had harmed them. Some 71% claimed that more than half of their accommodation requests had been denied or left unmet, while 92% reported a lack of an accessible accommodation process.
Slack posts deleted, petition removed
Employees further claimed that messages and a petition discussing disability and accessibility issues were removed from an internal Slack channel. The Guardian, which reported the story, was shown screenshots of those messages. One worker, who was helping organize disabled staff, alleged they were fired during the course of interviews for the story and had their Slack access cut off.
“My Slack access was removed preventing me from sending updates, coordinating and engaging in [National Labor Relations Act] protected activities,” they said.
The same worker emailed senior Amazon managers accusing the company of violating federal labor rules. “After the removal of the messages on Slack and my firing, others are now afraid. I talk with them and they are terrified about Amazon doing this,” they said.
Amazon did not dispute the Slack messages had been deleted, stating they violated company policy on solicitation. It denied retaliating against employees involved in labor organizing. A spokesperson said: “Amazon respects employees’ rights to organize and doesn’t interfere with these rights. We don’t discriminate or retaliate against employees for engaging in organizing activities.”
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Amazon rejects ADA violation claims
Amazon has rejected the claim that AI was used to process accommodation requests. It said the disability and leave services team ensures accommodations are driven by empathy and denied the use of automated or semi-automated systems in decision-making. The company also challenged the employees’ internal survey, describing it as an external poll of a small, unverified group.
The employees’ letter warned: “The systemic discrimination, retaliation, and policy failures documented here not only violate the ADA but also erode trust, harm individual health, and compromise the company’s integrity. We demand immediate action to reform these policies, foster a truly inclusive workplace, and uphold the rights of all employees.”
Though Amazon promotes a “best place to work for disability inclusion” ranking from a nonprofit it funds, it has also faced lawsuits, including an ongoing 2024 claim involving a deaf warehouse employee denied a sign language interpreter. In 2023, another former employee alleged she was retaliated against after advocating for remote work in response to return-to-office mandates.
The National Labor Relations Board, which oversees workers’ rights, has also weighed in on similar disputes. In October 2024, the agency issued a complaint against Apple over Slack-related organizing suppression. The case was indefinitely postponed in March 2025.
