Cheers echoed off the Amazon Spheres at the peak of lunchtime in downtown Seattle; they were cheers from Amazon's own employees, who say enough is enough.
Around 800 of the 65,000 employees at the Seattle corporate offices, and 900 from other global Amazon corporate offices walked out Wednesday for about an hour, demanding more climate action, a more flexible schedule and a better work environment.
"The progress is just not there, and I'm petrified of where the trajectory is going," said an anonymous Amazon employee before the walkout.
That employee says they're disappointed with the decisions Amazon has made in recent months like increasing emissions from the company, building fossil-fueled data centers and mandating days in the office.
"We got the climate pledge. We just need to stick to it and make progress towards it," the employee said.
On May 1, all corporate employers had to return to the office for at least three days a week. That followed 27,000 layoffs in the company.
"I think employee discontent is at an all-time high right now," the employee said.
Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser told Scripps News that Amazon is actually on target for its goal of net-zero carbon by 2040 and 100% renewable energy by 2025.
Regarding the return to office, he wrote:
"We're always listening and will continue to do so, but we're happy with how the first month of having more people back in the office has been. There's more energy, collaboration, and connections happening, and we've heard this from lots of employees and the businesses that surround our offices."
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