Corporate Amazon workers walk out over climate goals and return to office

theguardian.com:

Hundreds of corporate Amazon workers protested what they decried as the company’s lack of progress on climate goals and an inequitable return-to-office mandate during a lunchtime demonstration at its Seattle headquarters.

The protest on Wednesday comes a week after Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting and a month after a policy took effect requiring workers to return to the office three days a week.

The employees chanted their disappointment with the pace of the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint – “Emissions climbing, time to act” – and urged Amazon to return authority to team leaders when it comes to work location.

They also objected to recent layoffs. The company has cut 27,000 jobs since November.

Wearing a black pirate hat and red coat, Church Hindley, a quality assurance engineer, said working from home allowed him to live a better, healthier life.

“I’m not suited for in-office work,” Hindley said. “I deal with depression and anxiety and I was able to get off my anxiety medication and start living my life.”

In a statement, Amazon said it supported the rights of its workers to express their opinions.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 1,900 employees had pledged to walk out around the world, with about 900 in Seattle, according to Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a climate change advocacy group founded by Amazon workers.

Many were participating remotely, but hundreds gathered at the Amazon Spheres — a four-story structure in downtown Seattle that from the outside looks like three connected glass orbs.

Amazon, which relies on fossil fuels to power the planes, trucks and vans that ship packages all over the world, has an enormous carbon footprint. Amazon workers have been vocal in criticizing some of the