Because we believe that our right to discuss and even organize around working conditions and issues of diversity without fear of retaliation is fundamental to worker health and safety. Amazon’s recent actions undermine Trust and create an uncertain environment for discussing workplace issues at a time when it’s critically important.
Amazon doesn’t have a mechanism employees can use to express a mass grievance and request change. In the past, Amazon workers have used this format with arguably mixed results, but with some definite success. For example, Amazon had previously voted down shareholder resolutions meant to lower its impact on climate change. It wasn’t until an employee walkout was announced that the company released the Climate Pledge.
Connections questions and results are opaque, and only ask questions that Amazon wants to ask. It doesn’t offer a way to push for change, only to react to how things already are.
Even if we take Amazon at their word, the effect of these policies are to suppress people discussing workplace issues. Even if you trust our current leadership with this data nothing is to stop a future executive from having different opinions and doing something unsavory. Amazon could be legally forced to hand this data over to ICE or other hostile state actors.
Feel free to shoot an email to amazonians.for.employee.privacy@gmail.com if you have any other questions, comments, concerns about signing on!