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Tim Bray, vice president of Amazon Web Services, resigned because he was upset by the way the company treated employees who wanted to draw the world’s attention to the plight of Amazon warehouse workers.
Bray wrote on his blog that if he remains vice president of Amazon, he will practically approve provisions that are appalling. The former vice president added that the specific cases were not made with abstract entities but with real individuals, listing some names: Courtney Bowden, Gerald Bryson, Maren Costa, Emily Cunningham, Bashir Mohammed and Chris Smalls.
Amazon fired Cunningham and Costa for criticizing the company on Twitter. The company has been targeted several times because it provides insufficient protection for warehouse workers: They are not given protective equipment and are not told that their employees may be infected with a coronavirus. Amazon recently fired six workers for leaving sick leave in April in protest, and the aforementioned Chris Smalls was fired for organizing a one-day strike in March. According to the company’s official position, Smalls violated the rules of social distancing and endangered others.
Bray said the company was in trouble even before the epidemic, and said Amazon sees people as replaceable packaging machines. According to the former vice president, Amazon is exceptionally well managed and highly skilled leaders seize the opportunities, but are unaware of the human sacrifices that come with accumulating power and money.
(The Verge)
Cover image: Protesters against Amazon on May 1 in Seattle. Jason Redmond / AFP
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