An inner Amazon memo has offered a stark have a look at the corporate’s rigorously laid out plans to develop its affect in Southern California by way of a plethora of efforts that embody burnishing its fame by way of charity work and pushing again in opposition to “labor agitation” from the Teamsters and different teams.
The eight-page doc — titled “community engagement plan” for 2024 — gives a uncommon glimpse into how one among American’s greatest corporations executes on its public relations objectives and makes an attempt to curtail reputational hurt stemming from criticisms of its enterprise. It additionally illustrates how Amazon goals to methodically courtroom native politicians and group teams to be able to push its pursuits in a area the place it might be hampered by native moratoriums on warehouse growth, and it’s dealing with resistance from environmental and labor activists.
The memo was leaked to the nonprofit labor group Warehouse Employee Useful resource Heart and posted online this week. The Related Press independently verified its authenticity.
When reached for remark, Amazon didn’t dispute the authenticity of the doc. Nevertheless it mentioned in a ready assertion it was pleased with its philanthropic efforts.
“Partnerships with community leaders and stakeholders help guide how Amazon gives back,” mentioned Amazon spokesperson Jennifer Flagg. “Through employee volunteerism or our charitable donations, it is always Amazon’s intention to help support the communities where we work in a way that is most responsive to the needs of that community.”
‘Labor agitation’ a prime concern
Within the memo, Amazon says its prime public-policy precedence in Southern California is addressing “labor agitation that uses false narratives and incorrect information to affect public opinion and impact public policy.”
Earlier this 12 months, the Teamsters unionized an Amazon contracted supply agency within the metropolis of Palmdale and subsequently supported protests round firm warehouses after Amazon refused to come to the bargaining table. Final 12 months, dozens of Amazon staff at an organization air hub in San Bernardino, a metropolis about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, walked off the job to demand security enhancements and better pay.
Those self same points have been raised by staff at an organization warehouse in New York Metropolis the place staff voted to unionize with the Amazon Labor Union in 2022. The e-commerce large has been challenging the union’s win for greater than a 12 months in a case that’s nonetheless being adjudicated by the Nationwide Labor Relations Board.
The Amazon memo additionally says the Seattle-based firm faces “significant reputational challenges” in Southern California, the place it’s “perceived to build facilities in predominantly communities of color and poverty, negatively impacting their health.”
The Inland Empire, a area in Southern California that Amazon discusses within the doc, has seen a growth in warehouse growth over the previous few many years. However there’s additionally been a groundswell of native opposition to new warehouses, with a number of municipalities enacting moratoriums on developments.
In January, dozens of environmental and group teams despatched a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to declare a one-to-two-year moratorium on new warehouses within the space, arguing a brief pause was vital to handle the “gaps in current legislation” that permits for air pollution and congestion.
Within the memo outlining Amazon’s objectives for subsequent 12 months, the corporate says it plans to “earn the trust” of group teams and nonprofits, such because the San Bernardino Valley School Basis, Kids’s Fund, and Feeding America, to push again in opposition to state payments “that will continue to threaten the region’s economy, and Amazon’s interests.” The 2 payments cited embody a state laws that, if handed, would prohibit corporations from constructing giant warehouses inside 1,000 toes of personal houses, flats, colleges, daycares and different amenities.
The memo additionally says the corporate plans to “positively affect” legislative makes an attempt to ban single use plastic by “showcasing Amazon as a leader in sustainability and counter the voices of environmental activists against Amazon.”
It additionally particulars native politicians Amazon is partaking and says the corporate has “cultivated” Michael Vargas, the mayor of the city of Perris, by way of pandemic-related “donations to support the region, touring him and his team, and ongoing engagement.” Vargas didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Media protection is a prime concern of Amazon’s. The doc previews the corporate’s objectives to generate optimistic information tales for itself by way of charitable campaigns, together with by way of a meals drive hosted by the Los Angeles Meals Financial institution the place staff would drop off donations “in big media moments that are broadcasted/posted.” The memo advised curating comparable moments throughout a back-to-school donation occasion and a vacation toy drive, the place drop offs happen and having Amazon executives, in addition to teams who obtain grants from the corporate, “speak about Amazon’s impact” to the media.
The corporate moreover says it gained’t proceed to help organizations that “did not result in measurable positive impact” to its model and fame and can cease funding teams which can be antagonistic in the direction of its curiosity. It famous it should cease donating to The Cheech, an artwork museum in Riverside, citing an incident this 12 months the place the middle exhibited an area artist who depicted an Amazon facility on hearth and gave an interview “expressing hostility” in the direction of the corporate, the memo mentioned.
In a piece of the doc titled “Dogs Not Barking,” the memo lists the three issues Amazon will watch carefully within the area subsequent 12 months: warehouse moratoriums, labor organizing amongst contracted supply drivers, and group teams that aren’t accepting charitable donations. It says some elected leaders have been hesitant to simply accept political contributions from the corporate.
Sheheryar Kaoosji, the manager director of Warehouse Employee Useful resource Heart, mentioned in an announcement that the group works straight with Amazon warehouse staff within the area who constantly speak about low pay, excessive harm charges and different considerations.
“These are critical issues that impact the entire Inland Empire, but specifically the 45,000 people who work for Amazon here,” Kaoosji mentioned. However, she mentioned, the memo particulars Amazon’s technique “to paper over these valid concerns with donations, media clippings and support for policy changes that either benefit Amazon or hurt their competitors.”
