Amazon US Employees Press for Election Day Holiday

The petition was organised by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a group active on several social issues involving the company.

Amazon US Employees Press for Election Day Holiday

Amazon had nearly 900,000 employees worldwide, with more than half believed to be in the United States

Highlights
  • Amazon said it has offered flexibility to all its employees on voting
  • Amazon is it the second-largest private employer behind Walmart
  • Walmart, Coca-Cola, Twitter have announced a holiday on election day
Advertisement

More than 3,000 Amazon employees have signed a petition asking the technology and retail giant to provide a holiday for voting in the November 3 US election, organisers said.

The petition was organised by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a group active on several social issues involving the company.

"Removing barriers to voting is critical to ensure we have a voice on the issues we care about. There is no racial or climate justice without voting justice," the group said in a blog post Tuesday.

"With reduced polling locations in many states, eight hours is necessary to ensure nobody is unable to vote because they have to work."

The group said other large firms including Walmart, Coca-Cola, Twitter, Nordstrom, and Apple have announced a holiday for employees on election day.

"As the United States' second largest employer,  Amazon can have a huge impact on voter participation," the blog post said.

Amazon had nearly 900,000 employees worldwide at the end of the second quarter, with more than half believed to be in the United States, making it the second-largest private employer behind Walmart. It is also hiring an estimated 100,000 for the holiday season.

Asked to comment, Amazon said it has offered information and flexibility to all its employees on voting.

"In all 47 states with in person voting, employees that lack adequate time before or after their scheduled workday to vote, can request and be provided excused time off," an Amazon spokesperson said.

"The number of hours and pay provided to employees varies by state in line with local laws."

Amazon is not among the more than 700 US firms which have joined the Time to Vote coalition pledging to give employees the time and tools they need to cast ballots next month.


Is OnePlus 8T the best 'value flagship' of 2020? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

FIFA 21 Review: Goals Galore
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »