Current and former Amazon employees are encouraging tech workers at the company to participate in a “virtual walkout” next week to protest recent firings and conditions inside fulfillment centers.
The activist group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice put the event together after two of its members were fired for violating the company’s external communications policy. User experience designers Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa were terminated last week after repeatedly speaking out about the company’s environmental record and raising concerns about warehouse worker safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
The fired employees and activist group are asking Amazon workers to take a sick day on Friday, April 24 and tune into an all-day livestream. Costa and Cunningham plan to answer questions about their experiences, alongside warehouse workers. Amazon declined to comment on the walkout but a spokesperson pointed to a previous statement about the firings.
“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,” the spokesperson said. “We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies.”
Cunningham and Costa held a virtual event this week along with warehouse workers and other activists to discuss the COVID-19 situation. Amazon Employees for Climate Justice claims Amazon deleted invitations to the event that were sent to employee email addresses.
“Hours after the invitation was sent, Amazon fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, two leaders with Amazon Employees for Climate Justice who had over 20 years of tenure at Amazon between them,” the activist group said.
Employee activists and politicians have been critical of Amazon for years but the growing COVID-19 cases at fulfillment centers are renewing scrutiny of the tech giant. Warehouse workers have organized small demonstrations at facilities around the country and politicians are grilling Amazon on its safety policies.
Amazon is rolling out changes across its facilities to better control the virus’s spread, including temperature screenings. Amazon has raised its minimum wage, overtime pay, and expanded sick time policies as well. Meanwhile, the company is contending with a major surge in demand for its products and services from customers sheltering at home. Amazon hired 100,000 new warehouse workers to keep up and plans to add an additional 75,000.
