Seattle Amazon workers walk out Wednesday over layoffs, return-to-office mandate

KIRO 7 News Staff
·1 min read
22

Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out on the job Wednesday.

The lunchtime walkout in front of the Amazon Spheres on Seventh Avenue began at noon.

The Post cited internal messages shared by employees over Slack and email, which listed Amazon’s return-to-office mandate, climate commitments, and recent layoffs among the reasons for the walkout.

One employee based out of Los Angeles quoted by the Washington Post went so far as to say that “morale feels like it’s at an all-time low.”

A news release from Amazon Employees for Climate Justice cited “a lack of trust in company leadership’s decision-making” as one of the reasons for the demonstration.

Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Seattle walked out over a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, climate commitments and other issues.

The latest numbers from organizers show more than 1,900 workers worldwide have pledged to walk out, including 913 in Seattle.

Organizers said the walkout is focused in Seattle because it’s “the place most symbolically Amazon.”

Amazon announced plans to lay off 9,000 workers in late March, not long over the company cut over 18,000 jobs. Layoffs extended to a variety of teams, including Amazon Web Services, PXT Solutions, advertising, and Twitch.

“However, given the uncertain economy in which we reside, and the uncertainty that exists in the near future, we have chosen to be more streamlined in our costs and headcount,” CEO Andy Jassy said in late March.

Regarding the planned walkout, a company spokesperson said, “We respect our employees’ rights to express their opinions.”

A news release from Amazon Employees for Climate Justice said the walkout was “over a lack of trust in company leadership’s decision making, particularly around addressing the company’s climate impact and the rollout of a return to work mandate.”