An Amazon facility in Little Rock is closed indefinitely, which will impact thousands of employees. Here’s what we know.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark — An Amazon facility in Little Rock is closed indefinitely, which will impact thousands of employees.
According to reports, the closure is happening due to “building design errors.” Reports also state that the closure is not expected to impact holiday and customer orders.
Amazon has confirmed that Stantec Engineering Firm is the firm that worked on the building.
We reached out to Amazon to ask about the closure, to which they shared that they conducted a full review with the help of outside experts. During the review, they found that the “structural engineering firm that designed the LIT1 building made errors in the initial design of the facility.”
After the review, Amazon shared that the building is in need of “significant structural repairs” in order to meet seismic codes and ensure safety for employees at the facility.
“There’s no safe way to keep the building open during these repairs, and we’re left with no choice but to shut it down, which unfortunately impacts our entire team at LIT1,” Amazon said in a statement.
As the closure lingers, Amazon said that they’re working with employees to help them either find a new role within the company or at another company. Additionally, they’re offering a transitional period that consists of 90 days of full pay and six months of existing medical benefits.
The company shared that they’ll also provide severance to employees who are unable to find a new role at Amazon.
As for the specifics on support that Amazon will providing to existing employees in Little Rock, here’s a list that the company outlined:
- [Amazon will] provide all employees with 90 days of pay.
- [Amazon will] offer transfer opportunities for as many full-time employees as possible at other sites. For employees who choose to relocate to a role more than 50 miles from their home, we’ll provide a relocation assistance payment.
- If we’re unable to help an employee secure a new role with Amazon, we’ll provide them a severance package, including a lump sum payment, six months of existing medical benefits, and transitional support to help in looking for new roles. We’ll also continue to provide support for Career Choice for any Amazon employee currently enrolled in the program through 2026. Employees can also enroll in Career Choice during their 90 days of non-work paid time period.
- Impacted LIT1 employees will receive early notice of opportunities to apply for roles at LIT3 and at LIT1 prior to the site reopening.
There’s currently no information on how long the closure will last, but we will update this article as more information becomes available.
