Amazon employees say they’re facing termination for backing data center limits

Key Points:

• Three Amazon software engineers who testified at Seattle City Council hearings supporting data center regulations allege that Amazon retaliated against them by investigating and threatening disciplinary action shortly after their testimony, violating a city law against employment discrimination based on political speech.
• The engineers—Patrick Schloesser, Darius Irani, and Liesl Wigand—filed a legal complaint requesting an investigation by the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, asserting that Amazon's actions constitute prohibited retaliation for their advocacy.
• Amazon stated it is investigating possible policy violations related to employees speaking as company representatives without approval but denied plans to terminate the employees or tolerate retaliatory behavior.
• The controversy arises amid Seattle's recent one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers, following public concern over their environmental and community impacts, with Amazon Employees for Climate Justice advocating for stronger regulations and renewable energy commitments.
• The engineers and their legal counsel emphasize that Seattle law protects employees' political speech and that Amazon's alleged intimidation undermines democratic rights and worker protections, highlighting a broader culture of fear within the company.