Amazon employees face potential termination after data center testimony
Three software engineers now accuse Amazon of illegal retaliation after testifying before the Seattle City Council. Just one week after the group spoke in favor of a new data center moratorium, the company initiated investigations into their conduct, threatening disciplinary action that could lead to their immediate termination.
Patrick Schloesser, Darius Irani, and Liesl Wigand were summoned to impromptu meetings with Amazon’s Employee Relations department on June 10, a day after the council passed a one-year pause on large-scale data center projects. The trio argues that the company’s response violates a Seattle city law protecting employees from discrimination based on political speech. In response, they have filed a formal complaint with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights.
The engineers are members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, an activist group concerned with the environmental and infrastructure impacts of the company's massive data operations. While Amazon has yet to provide a public statement regarding the allegations, Schloesser emphasized that the group intends to contest the company's pressure tactics. The city’s new moratorium aims to force a deeper review of how these facilities affect local utility rates, water consumption, and public health before any further expansion is permitted.
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