Amazon employees say they’re facing termination for backing data center limits
Three Amazon software engineers claim they are facing termination for testifying at a Seattle City Council hearing in support of data center regulations and a recently enacted moratorium. They have filed a legal complaint alleging employment discrimination. The city council recently passed a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers to study their effects.
Three Amazon software engineers, Patrick Schloesser, Darius Irani, and Liesl Wigand, allege that Amazon is retaliating against them for speaking out at Seattle City Council hearings in favor of data center regulations and a moratorium. The employees, who are members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), testified while citing a city law prohibiting employment discrimination based on political speech.
A week after their testimony, and a day after the Seattle City Council enacted a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers, Amazon's Employee Relations department reportedly investigated the engineers, threatening disciplinary action up to termination. The employees have since filed a legal complaint with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, accusing Amazon of violating Seattle law protecting political speech. Amazon has not yet commented on the allegations.
The city's moratorium will pause new data center proposals while the council considers legislation and researches the impacts of data centers on land use, public health, water use, jobs, utility rates, and infrastructure. This action followed widespread community support for data center regulation, including from the Amazon employees.