Jun 22, 2026 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
Three Amazon employees have alleged that the company retaliated against them after they testified in support of a Seattle data center moratorium. According to reports, the employees—Darius Irani, Patrick Schloesser, and Liesl Wigand, all members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ)—were separately summoned to virtual meetings with HR representatives and informed that they were under investigation following their public comments on the proposal.
The employees allege that the meetings were intimidating and have led to increased scrutiny of their work, raising concerns that they could face disciplinary action or termination. Amazon, however, disputes the characterization. Company spokesperson Margaret Callahan told Bloomberg that the review was prompted by concerns that the employees may have been speaking in their capacity as Amazon representatives rather than as private citizens when making their public comments.
“We believe it’s important to apply our policies consistently, so, just as we would with anyone else, we’re investigating whether there was a violation of our policies and may or may not take action based on what we find.”
Lawyers for the employees have asked the Seattle Office for Civil Rights to investigate, arguing that the workers testified as private citizens, outside work hours, and without referencing their Amazon roles or sharing company information. The complaint follows Seattle City Council's June 9 approval of a one-year moratorium on large data centers and a new policy framework for future projects.
Schloesser, who similarly identified himself as a member of AECJ, said: "Last week, I took steps to be public for the first time, because I am tired of being afraid to stand up for my values. I believe the tech workers have a role to play in this moment. We want the city council members to include us in the process of developing equitable AI and data center policy."
