WHITE-COLLAR WOES

Amazon Employees Walk Out to Protest Mandated Return to Office

Office workers walked out in Seattle to protest the company's climate policies, as well as a recent series of layoffs.

Hundreds of Amazon office workers staged a walk-out on Wednesday to protest a slate of issues, including recent layoffs, sustainability policies, and a demand for employees to return to the office. The Washington Post reported that about 1,000 employees walked out in Amazon’s home city of Seattle, while another 2,000 participated elsewhere, according to the demonstration’s organizers. An Amazon spokesperson claimed the number of participants was much lower, at only 300. The group, which organized over Slack, argued that Amazon’s demand employees return to work in-person will increase carbon emissions by forcing them to commute. Also at issue was the removal of part of Amazon's climate pledge from the company website. “Amazon is actively accelerating this crisis on our watch, through our work, and each one of us have the opportunity and responsibility to do something about it,” one email circulated among employees read.