The laundry list of fired organizers at Amazon has become suspicious, and the National Labor Relations Board has noted.
A regional director for the NLRB found merit for two activists’ allegations that Amazon is unfair fired them last year. From 2019-2020, the users of user experience, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, advocated their prominence climate justice and warehouse workers’ safety, along with thousands of other workers. Along with their protests – especially around AWS for facilitate oil and gas extraction – Amazon sharpens its rules about employees’ speech. Amazon later used the rules to dismiss threats against Cunningham and Costa.
The NLRB does not provide details on the finding of the regional director. But if the case involves the rule change, it’s extraordinary: it suggests Amazon can’t just rearrange its policies to silence the protests.
The New York Times first reported the news Monday.
If Amazon refuses to settle with its former employees, the case goes on to a trial that could eventually end up in court.
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Cunningham and Costa defied Amazon’s order to remain silent, arguing that the issue replaces Amazon’s PR policy. “I spoke because I am terrified of the damage the climate crisis is causing, and I fear for the future of my children,” Costa said. tell the Washington Post in January. (A Gizmodo overview internal documents showed that in 2019, Amazon abandoned its plans to develop wind farms while pursuing the fossil fuel industry.)
Amazon has consistently talked a big game about reducing pollution and wash his hands with promises and philanthropy. It even went so far as to big hole sign in an arena to remind us that it cares. Meantime emissions increased in 2019, unrecycled cardboard piled up, and the company continued to cozy up to Big Oil.
As leaders of the 8,700 members, Amazon employees for climate justice, who are public, Costa and Cunningham speak in public during demonstrations, shareholders’ meetings, on Twitter and in the media. In April 2019, AEJC launched a open letter to Jeff Bezos demanding that the company commit to setting a timeline for its 100% renewable energy targets, to eliminate emissions rather than relying on carbon credits stop providing technology for oil and gas companies, and withhold donations to members of Congress who consistently vote against progressive climate policy.
In September 2019, AECJ announced that approximately 1,800 Amazon employees are committed to working in solidarity with the global climate strike. When Amazon saw the opportunity, it forbade employees not to have conversations about the company with the media. In January 2020, Amazon threatened to fire Costa and Cunningham. They appeared in a video by Bernie Sanders and with the Washington Post about it nonetheless.
“It’s our moral responsibility to speak up – regardless of Amazon’s attempt to censor us – especially when the climate poses such an unprecedented threat to humanity,” Costa said. said the Post.
Amazon finally fired Cunningham and Costa in April 2020, shortly after moving warehouse workers and technology teams to a video conference. (A few weeks Earlier, Cunningham and Costa tweeted that they would match donations of up to $ 500 to warehouse workers at higher risk for contracting with covid-19. told the New York Times that it fired them for violating ‘internal policies’.
In a statement shared by Earther, an Amazon spokesman said the company did not fire Costa and Cunningham for speaking out. but again for unspecified ‘internal policies’.
“We support the right of every employee to criticize the working conditions of their employer, but this does not imply complete immunity from our internal policies, which are all legal,” they said. “We terminated these employees not because they spoke in public about working conditions, safety or sustainability, but rather because they repeatedly violated internal policies.” We asked Amazon for explanation.
If Amazon does not settle, the local NRLB director will file a complaint and the case will move to a hearing with an administrative judge. If Amazon loses, the judge can repay or force Amazon to offer Costa and Cunningham their work. If Amazon wants to drag it out, it can ask the NLRB to rule, and then possibly go to the Court of Appeal, and even the Supreme Court.
Cunningham and Costa continued to push Amazon on climate and organization after their firing. Costa spoke on Amazon’s May 2020 shareholders’ meeting, and Cunningham led to an attempt to support the Amazon trade show in Bessemer, Alabama.
After Amazon’s frontline workers nationwide protested against alleged inadequate protection measures for covid-19, a growing chorus demanded that Amazon declare itself because it usually exterminates organizers. A group of Democratic senators called on Amazon to explain a wave of firing of organizers, and New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit partly regarding alleged retaliation against two protesters. Motherboard report on an attempt to smear against a protest leader, as well as many attempts to erase an association effort. The NLRB has found organizers’ complaints previously dismissed legal.
Last week, NBC News found that at least 37 complaints accusing Amazon of the stifling organizational efforts have been lodged with the NLRB. The Bureau has confirmed to Earther that it is investigating various cases in Brooklyn, which could lead to a consolidated nationwide investigation.
This is greater than a few allegations. If we want to avoid a disaster, workers must sit at the bargaining table along with some rare rich rich men who can pick and choose investments in the global future.