In the wake of the Dobbs decision from the Supreme Court of the United States, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the abortion issue to the individual states, hundreds of Amazon employees have begun to organize in protest — and they want their employer to join them.
In an open letter, which has since been leaked to the public, these employees make several demands on Amazon executives that they believe will restore “the basic human right” of unrestricted abortion access.
Though some of the demands are predictable — denounce the decision publicly, organize company-sponsored protests, fund organizations “working to expand abortion access” — others seem less concerned with the cause itself and more interested in diminishing executive power in favor of organized labor.
For example, the letter asks the company to grant all employees “the space and time to grieve, express their frustrations, and protest against this assault on our rights,” ostensibly on the company’s dime.
It also asks Amazon to “[e]xpand remote work options to allow employees the option to relocate to states” which will permit continued abortion access and to “[c]ease operations in states that enact” abortion restrictions. Since Amazon has already opened dozens of major warehouses in red states and since its business model relies on the convenience of fast home delivery, this demand would greatly impact company revenue, as well as the breadth of the company’s political and economic influence.
The letter also calls for Amazon to conduct a massive audit to make sure that none of its hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue go towards supporting pro-life causes and to censor its inventory so that customers have access only to pro-abortion materials and sellers.
By making such stiff demands, the letter co-signers may have sensed an opportunity to gain greater leverage with Amazon executives. Almost since the company’s inception, many local Amazon workforces have attempted to unionize, and all of their attempts that have thus far been thwarted. Should Amazon accede to some or all of the demands made in the letter, signees would demonstrate greater collective bargaining power and benefit the pro-abortion movement at the same time.
Despite any other ulterior motives they may have, though, the letter signees have expressed a sense of urgency regarding the abortion issue, and they have directed all letter readers to pro-abortion organizations and materials, indicating that their pro-abortion convictions are sincere.
As of this writing, Amazon has not reacted publicly to the Dobbs decision, either via social media or public statement, nor has it responded to this letter.