AWS Manager Sues Amazon on Claims of Racial Discrimination
An African American Amazon employee has filed a lawsuit against the company alleging she was the target of discrimination and sexual harassment.
In her complaint, Charlotte Newman, 38, explains of the tech giant, “Their practices when it comes to hiring and promoting Black people and other underrepresented minorities to high-level positions (and paying them commensurately) perpetuate decades-old patterns of discrimination.” The lawsuit goes on to say, “Like so many other Black and female employees at Amazon, Charlotte Newman was confronted with a systemic pattern of insurmountable discrimination based upon the color of her skin and her gender.”
According to Newman, the issues with the company started four years ago when she took on the role of a public policy manager for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Newman alleges she was hired on for the lower-level management position even though she was qualified for the higher level senior manager position. Several months into her position, Newman explains she took on the duties and roles of a senior-level manager while still being paid the rate of a lower-level employee.
Newman also alleges that she took on more work for less pay because she was performing the duties of senior management. Along with that, she was paid less than her white co-workers who performed the same duties. It was not until two and a half years later that Newman was promoted to the role she claims she should have initially been given when she was first hired.
The lawsuit explains, “Many of Ms. Newman’s colleagues observed a consistent practice of paying Black employees less than similarly situated white employees, and a near-total lack of Black representation in and very few women in the upper echelons of the group’s leadership.”
According to the lawsuit, Newman and other employees explain Amazon's routine "de-leveling" of certain individuals. The complaint describes de-leveling as a practice in which Black employees are dropped a "level below the job they applied and were qualified for or will be performing"
In addition to discrimination in pay, the complaint alleges that Newman was the target of sexual harassment by senior-level employees. The complaint reads in part, “Underlining Ms. Newman’s vulnerable position at the Company, a senior male coworker also felt free to sexually harass Ms. Newman and at times in plain view of others.” Newman explains that the workplace became a hostile work environment because of fear of retaliation. In one instance, Newman explains that her senior-level counterparts “used stereotypical racial tropes when criticizing her about how she speaks in meetings, calling her ‘aggressive,’ ‘too direct,’ and (shockingly) ‘just scary.'”
Amazon spokesperson Kate Brinks responded to the allegations made by Newman. In a statement Brinks shared, “Amazon works hard to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture, and these allegations do not reflect those efforts or our values. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind and thoroughly investigate all claims and take appropriate action. We are currently investigating the new allegations included in this lawsuit.”
