Devastating tornadoes ravaged the southern and midwest region of the United States this past weekend, leaving at least 77 dead in Kentucky alone.
Leslie Campbell, an employee at an Amazon warehouse in Campbellsville, Kentucky was two miles away from one of the Tornadoes when it hit on Friday, December 10.
"It became pitch white from the rain."
"It had a weird feeling to it."
Campbell was luckily able to safely find shelter with her mother, before leaving for work at 4:45am the next day.
But on her way, Campbell found herself turned back by police when reaching a farm which had been destroyed by the tornadoes and where they were searching for survivors.
After finally finding cell phone service at a local church, Campbell was able to reach Amazon's Employee Resource Center (ERC).
Campbell informed the ERC representative she would be "physically unable" to report to work that day due to the damage caused by the tornadoes.
But to her astonishment, the ERC representative replied they could find no record of the tornadoes and by missing work she would exceed her amount of Unpaid Time Off (UPT), putting her job in serious jeopardy.
Campbell made two more attempts to make her way to the warehouse, each proving unsuccessful, when she noticed the Twitter status of Amazon CEO Dave Clark.
We\u2019re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, Illinois. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone who has been impacted by the storm\u2019s path across the U.S.— Dave Clark (@Dave Clark) 1639254818
Clark's post was in response to news a number of Amazon employees in Edwardsville, Illinois died as a result of the tornadoes, offering his "thoughts and prayers".
Taking a gamble in hopes he might see it, Campbell responded to Clark's tweet, sharing her experience of being unable to make it to work and the unsympathetic response she received from the ERC.
I'm an Amazon worker in Kentucky, tornado hit 2 miles from my house and I physically couldn't get to work for my shift. The ERC team told me that they had no record of tornadoes in Kentucky and couldn't help me with not getting attendance time reduced for today— \u029f\u1d07\ua731\u029f\u026a\u1d07 \u1d04\u1d00\u1d0d\u1d18\u0299\u1d07\u029f\u029f (@\u029f\u1d07\ua731\u029f\u026a\u1d07 \u1d04\u1d00\u1d0d\u1d18\u0299\u1d07\u029f\u029f) 1639266276
In an effort to paint as clear a picture as she could, Campbell subsequently posted a picture of what she expressed was "a small amount" of the damage caused by the tornadoes and how she considered herself lucky she and her family merely lost power.
Just a small amount of the damage. My house plus many others are still without power but that pales in comparison to the loss of life and homes that others have gone through. In the grand scheme of today, my family and I were luckypic.twitter.com/6TsMkflMni— \u029f\u1d07\ua731\u029f\u026a\u1d07 \u1d04\u1d00\u1d0d\u1d18\u0299\u1d07\u029f\u029f (@\u029f\u1d07\ua731\u029f\u026a\u1d07 \u1d04\u1d00\u1d0d\u1d18\u0299\u1d07\u029f\u029f) 1639267827
Campbell's post was met with hundreds of responses, with several offering their sympathies to Campbell, and others condemning the behavior of Amazon whose reputation for poor working conditions at their warehouses continues to make headlines.
I'm so sorry this happened to you and your community. Amazon needs to do better on so many levels. This should be a wake up call. ( yet another one) I'm glad you and your family are safe. Hang in there.— Sam, your Uncle (@Sam, your Uncle) 1639271699
wtaf, no tornados?...what's ERC?— hitdaballcatchdaball (@hitdaballcatchdaball) 1639271166
unsurprising from a company where people at all levels of the company ROUTINELY cry at work— The Magnificent Skinbag (@The Magnificent Skinbag) 1639275396
Thank you for speaking up— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1639277078
Thank you for sharing Leslie— Fifty Shades of Whey (@Fifty Shades of Whey) 1639277669
This is why Amazon needs to be unionized. Not to mention that all Amazon warehouses should have multiple hardened shelters inside for tornado and high wind warnings. As soon as warning is issued everyone goes to shelters until all clear signal given.— Sophie ZnS (@Sophie ZnS) 1639331143
However, much to Campbell's surprise, among the hundreds of responses to her tweet, was one from Clark claiming he would get the matter "fixed."
Sorry Leslie I shared with the team we will get it fixed for you all.— Dave Clark (@Dave Clark) 1639287986
Campbell told Insider she never expected so many people to respond to her post, let alone a personal response from Clark.
"I didn't really expect it to take off like it did."
"I honestly never expected him to see it."
Though, for a moment it looked as if Clark had made a hollow promise.
Not long after Clark's response, Camppell received yet another call from the ERC, once again informing her they could find no record of tornadoes in her area.
The only advice they could offer her was to bring the matter up at her next shift.
But just before losing hope, Campbell received another call, this time from an HR representative, whom Campbell said was "very excited" to speak with her.
This time, Campbell was finally given some good news, not only would she be excused for missing her shift, but she would also be paid for the 11 hours she missed.
Even after this fairly tumultuous experience, Campbell, who took the early shift at the warehouse to help her sister, told Insider she has no plans to stop working at Amazon.
Though she did express her hopes the ERC system will be improved, as there is no doubt in her mind she would have been fired if Clark had not seen her Tweet.
"It's kind of like 'Oh, we're gonna put you in a system and what the system says, you do'."
"The human element of it is missing, and it's sad."
