He was testifying at a Seattle City Council meeting.
Five members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ) previously testified at a Seattle City Council meeting about AI data centers. Now, three of them are apparently under investigation by the company. AECJ has filed a civil rights complaint against the company on behalf of three engineers. cnbc And geekwireAccused Amazon of violating a Seattle law that prohibits companies from discriminating against employees based on their political ideology, race, religion and age.
Engineers spoke at a Seattle City Council hearing on whether to ban AI data center buildouts. He reportedly urged the council to add renewable energy requirements and labor protections related to data centers to city regulations. Furthermore, he called on the government to put a halt to the industry’s plans to “build as much computing capacity as quickly as possible, before the rules come into effect.” The Seattle City Council ultimately voted to pass a one-year moratorium on AI data centers.
In their complaint, the engineers said Amazon called them separately for a meeting with HR after the hearing and were told they were being investigated due to concerns about their testimony. He was reportedly told that the investigation could lead to disciplinary action and even dismissal.
geekwire Amazon says it denies it told engineers they risked being fired if they spoke at the hearing. Company spokeswoman Margaret Callahan told publications in a statement that after reviewing the engineers’ testimony, “it became clear that they would be speaking in their capacity as Amazonians, and not as private citizens.” The company is investigating whether any violation actually occurred, as Amazon does not allow employees to speak as their representatives without following certain procedures. “It is important to note that we do not tolerate retaliatory behavior,” he said.
Amazon fired AECJ’s two original organizers, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, in 2020 over criticisms of the company’s climate and labor practices. The former employees sued the company for illegal dismissal. Amazon settled with them in 2021 and had to pay them their back wages, as well as post a notice to all workers saying it could not fire them “for organizing and exercising their rights.”
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