Amazon employees Darius Irani, Patrick Schloesser, and Liesl Wigand, who are members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), say that they’re currently being investigated by their employer for breaking company policy after they testified in favor of the Seattle data center moratorium. According to Bloomberg, the three were called to separate Zoom meetings with an HR staff member after the city passed its one-year AI data center ban, where they were told that the company was investigating concerns about their public comments. Staff say they were intimidated during calls, are being monitored at work, and may face possible termination.
The company said that even though the three were free to discuss their working environment, they’re not allowed to speak as its representatives. “As we looked more closely at how these employees represented themselves, and how their comments were received by others, it became clear that they may have been speaking in their capacity as Amazonians and not as private citizens,” Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan told the publication. “We believe it’s important to apply our policies consistently so, just as we would with anyone else, we’re investigating whether there was a violation of our policies and may or may not take action based on what we find.”
Legal representatives of the three personnel said in a letter to the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) that the investigations could lead to discipline, with one of them even saying that they could possibly be terminated. The lawyers argued that they were investigated by the company because of what they said when the Seattle City Council heard public comments on the measure, and said that Irani, Schloesser, and Wigand did not use company time when they made their comments, nor did they make any mention of their employer or shared propriety information.
The SOCR is a local government agency that enforces laws against employment discrimination, among other things, and the three affected employees are asking the agency to look into the situation. They alleged that they were intimidated during the Zoom meetings and complained about being monitored while they were at work. This also isn’t the first time that AECJ-affiliated workers faced an issue with Amazon. The company reportedly fired two people in 2020 who were part of the group’s leadership for putting a spotlight on Amazon warehouse workers’ safety (or lack thereof) during the pandemic.
Amazon says it is just investigating the situation and hasn’t made a decision yet. However, news like this will not do any good for the company and industry in general, especially as they gather bad press because of their AI data center projects. While the company has been trying to put its good side forward, like comparing its water consumption with other hyperscalers to highlight its high water efficiency, it still cannot shake off the perception that it could cause higher electricity costs, reduced water pressure, and noise pollution, among others.
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