Three Amazon engineers are under investigation by their employer after they testified at Seattle city council meetings about AI data center construction. The engineers are members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, known as AECJ, and spoke at hearings over whether the city should pause new AI data center buildouts.
According to a report by Engadget, five AECJ members testified at the council hearings. Three of them were later called into separate meetings with Amazon's human resources department and told they were under investigation. They were also reportedly told the investigation could lead to disciplinary action and even termination.
At the hearings, the engineers urged the council to add renewable energy requirements and labor protections related to data centers to city regulations. They also called for the government to put a stop to industry plans "to build out as much compute capacity as they can, as fast as they can, before regulations can catch up." The Seattle city council ultimately voted to pass a year-long moratorium on new AI data centers.
The AECJ filed a civil rights complaint against Amazon on behalf of the three engineers. The complaint accuses Amazon of violating a Seattle law that prohibits companies from discriminating against employees based on their political ideology, race, religion, and age.
Amazon denied telling the engineers they were at risk of being fired for speaking at the hearings. Company spokesperson Margaret Callahan said in a statement that after reviewing the engineers' testimonies, "it became clear that they may have been speaking in their capacity as Amazonians and not as private citizens." Callahan added, "It's important to note that we don't tolerate retaliatory behavior." The company said it is looking into whether the employees violated internal procedures that require workers to follow certain steps before speaking as Amazon representatives.
This is not the first time Amazon has faced a dispute with AECJ members. In 2020, the company fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, two of the group's original organizers, over criticisms of Amazon's climate and labor practices. Both employees sued for illegal termination. Amazon settled with them in 2021 and was required to pay their back wages. The company was also required to post a notice to all workers stating it cannot fire them for organizing and exercising their rights.
The civil rights complaint is now filed, and the internal investigation remains open.
