In February 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent an email to company employees outlining new return-to-work guidelines. Previously, individual teams within the company could decide where employees worked, but Jassy’s email revealed that starting on May 1, 2023, most Amazon employees will need to work in the office at least three days a week. (Certain roles, such as salespeople and customer support, are exempt.)
In response, thousands of Amazon workers signed a petition opposing the new rules and went on strike months later. Despite protests and resistance, according to a report InsiderAt a meeting in early August 2023, Jassy reiterated the company’s commitment to employees returning to the office for most of the week.
The NLRB complaint alleges that Amazon used its internal Chime system to “interrogate” employees about the strike. After organizing the strike, Amazon first instituted a performance improvement plan for the employee and later “will pay a severance package of nine weeks’ pay if the employee signs a severance agreement and is released globally in exchange for resigning.”
NLRB attorneys said it all happened because of the employee’s participation in organizational activities and that the retaliation was intended to prevent “…protected, coordinated activity.”
The employee’s name has been redacted from the NLRB complaint. last year, seattle times One strike organizer developed a performance improvement plan in the wake of the strike, which the newspaper said was “known for being nearly impossible to escape”. One detail included in both the complaint and the article describes how investigators questioned the man for allegedly encouraging other employees to “get angry at Amazon.”
The National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel is seeking several different forms of remedies from Amazon, including compensation for the employee’s “financial losses, job search and work-related expenses,” a letter of apology and a letter of intent that must be based on the circumstances. “Employee Notice”. The content of the Employee Notice was not specified.
Amazon responded to the NLRB complaint today, and Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser shared the following statement with us edge:
“The facts of this situation are clear and have nothing to do with whether the former employee objected to our return-to-office guidance. For nearly a year, she had been performing poorly and repeatedly failed to complete the projects assigned to her. Although Despite extensive support and coaching, the former employee was unable to improve his performance and chose to leave the company.
If Amazon and employees fail to reach a settlement, an NLRB administrative law judge (ALJ) plans to hold a hearing in Seattle on February 4, 2025.
