Rantz: Amazon should fire their cowardly, activist employees

Over 360 activist employees at Amazon are protesting the company’s communications and climate change policy. This, after some employees were threatened with termination for their criticism. Every single one of them should be fired. Better yet, the cowardly activists should do the right thing and resign.

A group of activist employees are publicly condemning Amazon for conducting business with oil and gas companies like Shell and BP. Amazon provides oilfield automation technology, remote site data transportation, and machine learning for enhanced oil exploration, according to CNBC.

Amazon employees, with a group called Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, are unhappy. This makes sense: Climate justice activists tend to be an angry bunch. After all, they think the world will end in 10 years unless the U.S. bans plastic bags and straws. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says so.

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Amelia Graham-McCann, Senior Business Analyst at Amazon, writes on Medium.com, “It is unconscionable for Amazon to continue helping the oil and gas industry extract fossil fuels while trying to silence employees who speak out.”

The complaint stems from Amazon’s communications policy. It’s a standard policy that is utterly reasonable: you can’t misrepresent or unfairly criticize your employer.

If you speak with the media, you need to get it cleared through the communications office so no one confuses you for speaking officially on their behalf. Activist employees don’t appreciate this policy.

Ax them all

Amazon is a private company. You have no right to criticize your employer, even if the criticism is fueled (pun intended) by a deeply held political belief. Their criticism can actually hurt business, which is precisely the opposite effect employees are supposed to have on their employer. We’re not getting rid of fossil fuels anytime soon. Amazon technology can actually make oil and gas exploration safer.

What employer would put up with this? I can assure you that the second I publicly trash KTTH or MyNorthwest.com, I get a warning and a stern talking to. If I continue, they would fire me. They should. My job description doesn’t include bad faith public criticisms of the company I work for. You should expect to lose your job if you trash your employer. It’s that simple.

Be less cowardly

It’s particularly easy to criticize your employer when you can frame yourself as a hero. Despite a threat of termination, these employees present themselves as standing up for what’s right. After all, these Amazon activist employees do it for Mother Earth. How noble! Or is it?

I find it cowardly.

If you believe Amazon business will ultimately help kill this planet, why do you still work for them? Why do you still collect the blood money? Your work is keeping Amazon afloat. An actual political statement that takes guts is mass resignations. Imagine the position you’d put them if all 350+ employees resigned.

Or maybe it wouldn’t do anything. Amazon has highly qualified prospective workers who would happily take those 350+ high-paying jobs in a heartbeat. These self-righteous protesters know that.

It is why these worker-activists won’t quit. They’ll keep working for a company they want to convince us will irrevocably damage the environment. And they’ll happily cash that paycheck.

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