U.S. lawmakers open probe into Amazon labor practices after tornado deaths

The U.S. House Oversight Committee is opening an investigation into Amazon.com's labor practices during extreme weather events, following the death of six workers during a swarm of tornados last year. In a letter addressed to Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy and dated on Thursday, the committee asked the company to provide policies regarding emergency preparation as well as documents related to the tornado strikes that battered an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, in December, among other materials.

"The Committee seeks to fully understand the events that led to the tragedy at Amazon's Edwardsville facility," the committee wrote in the letter signed by congress members Carolyn Maloney, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush, all Democrats.