Amazon fires at least 3 employees who criticized workplace conditions
Amazon fires at least 3 employees who criticized workplace conditions
Amazon, which is desperately trying to bulk up staffing amid surges in demand, has reportedly fired another three employees and suspended a fourth after those workers led efforts to speak out against working conditions in the company's warehouses.
Two workers let go on Friday, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, are both tech workers based in Seattle's headquarters, the Washington Post reports. Both were active in an internal employee group advocating for climate issues and had circulated a petition inside the company calling on Amazon to expand benefits and pay for employees in warehouses. Both also posted tweets in March offering to match donations to a fund set up to support workers at Amazon's warehouse in Queens.
Another employee, Chris Hayes, was not allowed to finish out his notice period after he resigned from the company in protest of its treatment of warehouse workers, The New York Times reports. He gave notice earlier, saying his last day would be April 17, but last week, after he sent colleagues an invitation to a discussion with warehouse workers, HR told him he was no longer allowed to work.
An Amazon representative told the Post the employees were fired for "repeatedly violating internal policies," saying, "We support every employee’s right to criticize their employer’s working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/04/amazon-fires-at-least-3-employees-who-criticized-workplace-conditions/