Ride the Lightning

Amazon Spying on Labor and Environmental Groups

December 2, 2020

Not precisely news, but there have been new developments. On November 23, VICE reported that there are now dozens of leaked documents revealing that Amazon relies on Pinkerton agents to spy on warehouse workers and labor unions, environmental activists and others.

The reports, obtained by Motherboard, were written in 2019 by Amazon intelligence analysts who work for the Global Security Operations Center, the company's security division tasked with protecting Amazon employees, vendors, and assets at Amazon facilities around the world.

The documents demonstrate that Amazon analysts closely monitor the labor and union-organizing activity of their workers throughout Europe, as well as environmentalist and social justice groups on Facebook and Instagram. They also indicate, and an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, that Amazon has hired Pinkerton operatives—from the notorious spy agency known for its union-busting activities—to gather intelligence on warehouse workers.

As the post states, "Internal emails sent to Amazon's Global Security Operations Center obtained by Motherboard reveal that all the division's team members around the world receive updates on labor organizing activities at warehouses that include the exact date, time, location, the source who reported the action, the number of participants at an event (and in some cases a turnout rate of those expected to participate in a labor action), and a description of what happened, such as a "strike" or "the distribution of leaflets." Other documents reveal that Amazon intelligence analysts keep close tabs on how many warehouse workers attend union meetings; specific worker dissatisfactions with warehouse conditions, such as excessive workloads; and cases of warehouse-worker theft, from a bottle of tequila to $15,000 worth of smart watches."

Amazon has long had the reputation of quelling employee dissent.

The new intelligence reports obtained by Motherboard detail how Amazon uses social media to track environmental activism and social movements in Europe perceiving them as a threat to its operations.

The stated purpose of one of these documents is to "highlight potential risks/hazards that may impact Amazon operations, in order to meet customer expectation."

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who also recently wrote a letter to Bezos requesting information about Amazon's interference with workers' right to organize, sent statements to Motherboard condemning Amazon's interference with workers' right to organize and the findings in the new reports.

"Amazon's spying on its own employees is especially odious," Wyden said. "It's exhibit A for the need to pass new laws that would beef up federal protections for labor organizing and hold bad actors accountable."

"The magnitude of this surveillance, the lengths to which Amazon has gone to keep it hidden from its own workers, and its admitted purpose are extremely disturbing," said Sen. Brown.

"The fact that Amazon has decided to heavily invest in systems and efforts to avoid unionization rather than improve the wages, hours, and working conditions of its employees demonstrates its reckless disregard for the welfare of its workforce," Brown continued.

Strong words indeed. This is a fascinating and lengthy report – well worth reading. Senator Wyden's words seem to sum the situation up well – new legislation with teeth is definitely in order.

The president of UNI Global Union, which represents more than 20 million trade union workers around the world, says that Amazon's use of anti-union tactics in the United States, in Europe and around the world is creating a global human rights crisis.

"Most American companies that try to succeed in Europe have adapted to the fact that there are strong unions here. Those that haven't, such as Walmart and Toy R' Us have left. But Amazon is an outlier," she said. "This isn't the way companies operate in Europe—ignoring the law, spying on workers, using every page of the US union busting playbook, as if they don't have enough power and money on their own. They need to know they're not going to get away with that in Europe."

I'll be watching what happens in 2021 . . . here and abroad . . .

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225|Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
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