Amazon Investigates Employees After Seattle Data Center Moratorium Vote
Amazon is investigating three of its employees for testifying at a Seattle City Council meeting in favor of a one-year moratorium on new data centers, which was subsequently approved. A civil rights complaint has been filed with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, alleging the company is retaliating against employees for their off-hours political activism.
Amazon is reportedly investigating three of its employees who spoke at a Seattle city council meeting to advocate for a one-year moratorium on new data centers. The Seattle City Council unanimously approved the data center ban on June 9, following public comments from five Amazon employees.
The employees, organizing as part of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), urged councilors to approve the moratorium and criticized the tech industry's substantial AI investment. Shortly after their testimony, three of the employees were placed under investigation by Amazon's human resources, with warnings of potential disciplinary action, including job loss.
A legal complaint has since been filed with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, alleging that Amazon violated a local ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on political orientation. The complaint states that Amazon was monitoring employees' political advocacy and seeking to identify other politically active staff. Software engineer Patrick Schloesser, one of the investigated workers, told the New York Times that Amazon is attempting to silence its employees and infringe on their political rights.
Initially, Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan stated the company respected employees' right to voice opinions. However, after the complaint surfaced, Amazon changed its stance, claiming the workers may have spoken as company representatives without approval. Callahan stated the company "may or may not take action based on what we find" while trying to avoid accusations of retaliation.