Amazon Exec Called Fired Worker ‘Not Smart’ in Leaked Memo
- Report details Amazon’s internal talks about worker unrest
- Online retailer blasted for coronavirus response in warehouses
Amazon.com Inc. signage is displayed in front of a warehouse in the Staten Island, New York, on March 31.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A senior Amazon.com Inc. executive called a fired Staten Island warehouse worker “not smart or articulate” in internal discussions about how the company should respond to employee criticism of its handling of the pandemic, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky said fired worker Chris Smalls should be the focus of Amazon’s public-relations campaign countering activist employees, said the person who saw an internal memo. Amazon workers around the country have been walking off the job or holding demonstrations to highlight what they describe as inadequate safety precautions.