Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ) says the company is threatening to fire workers who have publicly spoken out about the climate crisis.
According to EcoWatch, AECJ, the climate change advocacy group founded by Amazon workers, said that the company’s legal and HR teams had questioned some of their members about public statements they had made urging Amazon to take climate action. Some also received emails saying they would be fired if they continued to speak up.
The group was formed to challenge Amazon to make better environmentally-friendly business choices.
How will the world remember Jeff Bezos in the era of climate emergency? Will he use his immense economic power to help, or not?Please tell @Amazon and @JeffBezos: Our world is on fire & desperately needs climate leadership. Stop silencing employees who are sounding the alarm. 2/
— Amazon Employees For Climate Justice (@AMZNforClimate) January 2, 2020
Amazon currently relies on fossil fuels to power their package transportation all over the world. They leave an enormous carbon footprint annually.
According to Cnet, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice said Thursday that its members ran afoul of a new company policy instituted in September, a day after the group announced it was organizing a climate walkout that brought out hundreds of Amazon employees at the company’s Seattle headquarters. The policy requires employees to seek prior approval before talking publicly to the press or in social media about the company when they are identified as Amazon employees. Amazon’s press office responded Thursday that its external communications policy isn’t new but was updated starting in the spring of last year to streamline the approvals process.
AECJ says they will continue to take climate action despite the HR threats and Bezos’ promises to conduct a cleaner business.
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