Amazon fires three reported critics of company’s pandemic response for workplace violations
- Maren Costa, Emily Cunningham and Bashir Mohamed had all criticised Amazon’s pandemic response before being fired
- The dismissals drew sharp words from US Senator Bernie Sanders and a labour coalition
The company on Friday fired two user experience designers, Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham, for what it called repeated violations of internal policies, without specifying which ones.
The two workers, who gained prominence for pushing the company to do more on climate change, had recently made public statements questioning Amazon’s pandemic safety measures and pledging to match donations of up to US$500 to support staff at risk of getting the virus.
The e-commerce giant also said it dismissed Bashir Mohamed, a warehouse worker in Minnesota, “for inappropriate language, behaviour, and violating social distancing guidelines.”
In statements shared with Reuters, Cunningham said she believed Amazon could play a powerful role during the crisis, but to do so, “we have to really listen to the workers who are on the front line, who don’t feel adequately protected.”