01
Warehouse safety has drawn federal scrutiny
OSHA announced a corporate-wide settlement with Amazon in December 2024 after a multi-site investigation involving ergonomics cases at 10 facilities.
OSHA also separately cited an Amazon facility in Castleton, New York over medical-treatment practices.
Context: OSHA and Amazon resolved the ergonomics cases through a settlement requiring broader measures. That does not mean every disputed allegation was proven at trial.
02
The FTC alleges Amazon secretly inflated ad-auction prices
The FTC and 22 states sued Amazon in August 2026, alleging that the company added undisclosed reserve-price surcharges to advertising auctions while continuing to present them as generalized second-price auctions.
The FTC says the practice generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue and affected more than one million brands and sellers.
Context: These are allegations in a pending federal case. Amazon has not been found liable on these claims.
03
JFK8 workers voted to unionize, and the bargaining fight continued
Workers at Amazon’s JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island voted to unionize in 2022, and the NLRB certified the union.
Separate unfair-labor-practice cases later alleged that Amazon refused to recognize or bargain with the union in good faith.
Context: NLRB dockets include allegations, settlements, and ongoing litigation. This page does not treat every allegation as a final adjudicated finding.
04
Marketplace sellers can be squeezed from both sides
Amazon’s marketplace gives small businesses access to a massive audience, but can also make sellers dependent on Amazon’s advertising, fulfillment, and marketplace systems.
The FTC’s 2026 ad-auction case alleges that hidden pricing changes increased advertising costs without sellers fully understanding how those prices were being set.
Context: The FTC’s case is pending. The allegations should be read as claims by regulators, not as established liability.
