He specifically noted the outcome of the union vote in Bessemer, Alabama, which led to Amazon (AMZN) workers vote overwhelmingly not to form the company’s first American union.
“Comfort your chairman with the result of the recent vote in the trade union in Bessemer? No, he does not,” Bezos wrote. “I think we need to do a better job for our employees. Although the voting results were skewed and our direct relationship with employees is strong, it is clear to me that we need a better vision for how we create value for employees. – a vision for their success. ‘
Bezos also defends Amazon’s record on wages, workplace safety and climate change – all areas where Amazon employees have pushed the company to do more.
He shared the company’s successes in a banner year: Amazon Prime subscribers now number more than 200 million worldwide. That is higher than 150 million worldwide, the last figure Amazon announced in January 2020.
Bezos concludes its note with a reference to its original shareholder letter of 1997, which will become an annual touchstone for the company. “For all of you: be kind, be original, create more than you consume, and let the universe never, never, never shine in your environment. It remains day 1.”