Amazon CEO Andy Jassy accused of violating labor laws with anti-union comments

The NLRB has accused Jassy of violating labor laws based on comments made in past interviews where he calls unions harmful to employees.

Morgan Shaver

October 27, 2022 10:25 AM

Reuters, Mike Blake

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is currently in hot water with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in regards to anti-union comments made during past interviews. As reported by CNBC, the NLRB points to interviews including one with CNBC back in April and another that took place this past June at the Bloomberg Tech Summit.

Speaking with CNBC, Jassy noted that if employees were able to vote in a union they may be less empowered to make workplace changes, and that things would become “much slower” and “more bureaucratic.”

“You know, first of all, of course, it’s its employees’ choice whether or not they want to join a union. We happen to think they’re better off not doing so for a couple of reasons at least. You know, first, at a place like Amazon that empowers employees, if they see something they can do better for customers or for themselves, they can go meet in a room, decide how to change it and change it,” Jassy told CNBC.

“That type of empowerment doesn’t happen when you have unions. It’s much more bureaucratic, it’s much slower. I also think people are better off having direct connections with their managers. You know, you think about work differently. You have relationships that are different. We get to hear from a lot of people as opposed to it all being filtered through one voice.”

Amazon building with Amazon sign out front and a view of the building's parking lot — © NYT, Elaine Cromie

Meanwhile, in the Bloomberg interview, Jassy similarly spoke negatively about unions, stating that workers would be “better off without a union.” According to Ronald Hooks, regional director of the NLRB’s Seattle office, Jassy’s comments are viewed as “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed” in the National Labor Relations Act.

Firing back, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel told CNBC that:

Amazon employee looking at a large stack of Amazon boxes stacked on top of a pallet in a warehouse. — © Denver Post, Getty Images

As for what Amazon will need to do moving forward, it will first need to respond to the NLRB’s complaint by November 8 with the office having already scheduled a hearing for February 7, 2023. Additionally, the NLRB complaint asks Amazon to provide workers with a notice informing them of their labor rights whether by mail or email.

While we wait to see how the situation unfolds, we recommend reading through some of our past Amazon coverage including how Amazon was recently hit with a $1 billion class action lawsuit in the UK over antitrust allegations, and how Amazon is raising its third-party seller fees over the holidays.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.

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October 27, 2022 10:25 AM

Morgan Shaver posted a new article, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy accused of violating labor laws with anti-union comments