Amazon Is Investigating Employees for Publicly Supporting Data Center Regulation — Here's Why It Matters

Earlier this month, five current Amazon employees made an unprecedented move by publicly urging Seattle City Council to regulate data centers. Now, three of those employees—software engineers Patrick Schloesser, Darius Irani, and Liesel Wigand—say they are under internal investigation for allegedly representing themselves as Amazon spokespeople without prior approval. The employees filed a joint complaint with Seattle's Office for Civil Rights on Thursday, accusing Amazon of illegal retaliation and intimidation for expressing personal political beliefs outside of work. Seattle is one of the few U.S. jurisdictions that prohibits employers from discriminating based on political activities. Attorney Abby Lawlor, representing the workers, stated, “We hope the city will ensure this vital law is enforced.”

Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan defended the action, saying the employees may have “been speaking in their capacity as Amazonians and not as private citizens.” She added that Amazon does not tolerate retaliation and currently has no plans to fire them. The workers, all members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, spoke at three city council meetings this month without claiming to represent the company. Two other Amazon workers who also spoke have not been investigated. The trio now face a 1-2 week probe with potential termination, but have received widespread internal support. They argue Amazon has a pattern of silencing collective action and shielding data center projects from scrutiny using confidentiality agreements.