Amazon is facing a proposed class action claiming its warehouse leave and attendance policies unlawfully penalize employees with disabilities. According to the New York Law Journal (Law.com, Nov. 13, 2025), the lawsuit alleges that Amazon’s automated “unpaid time off” (UPT) system deducts time and triggers disciplinary action even when workers are on leave related to pending ADA accommodation requests.
The case is led by Cayla Lyster, a Syracuse-area warehouse employee diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. As reported by Reuters (Nov. 12, 2025), Lyster claims Amazon placed her on six weeks of unpaid leave while evaluating her request for basic accommodations—including permission to sit and avoidance of ladder work—and then continued deducting UPT during that period, generating disciplinary warnings and threatening termination.
Worker-advocacy organization A Better Balance, which is supporting the litigation, stated publicly that Amazon’s attendance system has produced similar complaints from disabled workers in other facilities, suggesting broader systemic issues in how the company handles disability-related leave and accommodation requests.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and related anti-discrimination statutes. Plaintiffs argue that Amazon’s policies “discourage employees from seeking accommodations at all,” because the automated system penalizes them before the company even completes the interactive process required by law.
For employers, the litigation underscores a critical compliance risk: attendance-control systems must distinguish between protected disability-related leave and ordinary absences, and automated point or discipline systems cannot operate blindly while accommodation requests are pending. Companies with large hourly or warehouse workforces should assess their leave-tracking systems, communication protocols, and ADA processes to avoid similar exposure.
Outside Legal Counsel LLP is available to assist employees in understanding and enforcing their rights and employers in auditing attendance systems, updating accommodation workflows, and ensuring ADA-compliant leave practices. Contact us today.
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