Amazon Employees Allege Retaliation After Testifying at Seattle Data Center Moratorium Hearings
Three Amazon software engineers are alleging that the company retaliated against them after they testified at Seattle City Council hearings opposing data center expansion in the city.
Patrick Schloesser, Darius Irani, and Liesl Wigand testified before the Seattle City Council earlier this month, beginning their remarks by citing a local law that prohibits employment discrimination based on political speech. The testimony came during hearings about a proposed moratorium on new data center construction in Seattle.
On June 10th—one week after the hearing and one day after the City Council passed the landmark moratorium—the three employees were each called into impromptu meetings with Amazon's Employee Relations department. According to their accounts, HR representatives informed them that the company was investigating them in connection with their public testimony.
The engineers are accusing Amazon of violating the city's worker protection ordinance by targeting them for their political speech. The moratorium represents a significant policy shift that could affect Amazon's existing and planned operations in its home city.
Amazon has not publicly commented on the specific allegations or the status of any internal investigations.