SEATTLE — A group of Amazon employees upset over recent layoffs, back-to-office orders and the company’s environmental impact is planning a walkout next week at its Seattle headquarters.
The Seattle Times reported that the lunchtime protest is planned for May 31, a week after Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting and a month after the policy takes effect requiring workers to return to the office. This is contingent on at least 1,000 Amazon employees from the company’s Seattle headquarters agreeing to participate.
The Washington Post first reported the plans.
“We respect the rights of our employees to express their opinions,” the company said in a statement.
Drew Herdner, senior vice president of communications at Amazon, said there has been good energy at the company’s South Lake Union campus and its other urban centers since more employees returned to the office.
Amazon has cut 27,000 jobs since November. The layoffs have affected employees in advertising, human resources, gaming, stores, devices and Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing division.
Amazon has also spun out entire projects, including its healthcare effort, Amazon Care, and a philanthropic program, Amazon Smile.
Some employees have complained that Amazon has been slow to address its impact on climate change, and more than 20,000 workers have signed a petition urging Amazon to reconsider the return-to-office mandate Is.
