Thousands of Amazon corporate employees walked off the job Wednesday, protesting the company’s remote work and climate policies.
According to event organizers, around 2,000 employees participated from around the world, with just over 1,000 gathering outside Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle.
However, Amazon officials counted just 300 strikers at the headquarters.
Organizers initially announced the walkout last week.
The protest focused on two issues for Amazon workers: remote work and climate change.
Amazon ordered all corporate employees to return to in-person work at least three days a week in May. That sparked a backlash from employees who felt betrayed by the company that hired them during the pandemic. Many workers hired during the height of the remote work boom moved away from Amazon offices and had to move again to return to the office. Other employees said remote work let them spend more time with their families.
The backlash to the updated policy was so severe, employees created Remote Advocacy. The group drafted a petition outlining concerns about the return to office policies and sent it to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
The company still remains confident in its return-to-office plan.
“We understand that it’s going to take time to adjust back to being in the office more, and there are a lot of teams at the company working hard to make this transition as smooth as possible for employees,” Amazon spokesman Brad Glasser said.
Protestors also focused their ire on Amazon’s climate policies. The group focused on the fact that the company recently rewrote its climate goals for the company to become carbon-neutral by 2040. Protestors want a shorter timeline.
Much like the rest of the tech industry, Amazon has been significantly cutting jobs. According to reports, the online retailer has laid off 27,000 workers across several sectors, leading many employees to doubt their future at the company.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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