At Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting held several days ago, investors rejected a record 18 outside proposals, indicating a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the company’s operations. The company reported that a majority of Amazon’s shares voted against all these proposals.
The proposals spanned a wide array of topics, touching upon climate change, workers’ rights, racial and gender equity, corporate governance, compensation, and product moderation. Despite the impassioned speeches by Amazon employees, labor leaders, activists, and others during the 45-minute comment section of the virtual meeting, all proposals failed to gain sufficient support.
Detailed results of the meeting are expected to be released a few days later, which may reveal noteworthy trends in the voting patterns. The meeting’s conclusion coincides with rumors of a possible walkout by Amazon headquarters workers in the upcoming week, primarily over issues related to climate change and the company’s return-to-work policy.
Labor discontent was evident throughout the meeting, particularly with the participation of warehouse workers and labor leaders in presenting the proposals. Chris Smalls, president and founder of the Amazon Labor Union, urged Amazon to respect workers’ rights and respond appropriately to their demands. This plea comes a year after a successful union vote at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse.
Smalls voiced support for a resolution that demanded a detailed report on Amazon’s commitment to workers’ rights to bargain collectively and associate freely. He accused Amazon of violating International Labour Organization conventions and national law, which protect workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. Smalls also claimed that Amazon spent over $14.2 million of shareholders’ money to fight workers’ efforts to form a union.
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Contrary to the sentiments expressed by the labor leaders, Amazon’s 11-member board, which was re-elected at the meeting, had recommended shareholders to vote against all 18 outside proposals. In response to the call for a detailed report on Amazon’s commitment to workers’ rights, the board cited a previous report detailing Amazon’s policies and practices. It argued that the facts presented a different situation than suggested by the proposal and its supporting statement.
The board pointed out that unions have managed to gather sufficient support for a National Labor Relations Board representation vote at only four of Amazon’s U.S. locations. According to the board, less than 0.4% of Amazon’s total U.S. workforce has voted in favor of union representation.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Amazon has conducted its annual meetings virtually. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy responded to selected shareholders’ questions read out by a member of Amazon’s public relations team. The questions centered on a range of issues, including Amazon’s delivery speeds, plans for generative AI, the Project Kuiper satellite broadband initiative, and its ventures in the healthcare sector.
Jassy, who took over as CEO two years ago from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, started the meeting by thanking the company’s 1.4 million employees and expressing pride in their work and environmental efforts. He did not address any of the specific labor issues raised during the meeting.
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