Oxfam America urges Amazon shareholders to vote in favor of including hourly workers as director candidates – a policy that would amplify the voices of workers across the company.
Amazon investors are set to convene on May 24 for the company’s annual general meeting, during which Oxfam’s shareholder resolution – presented for the third year in a row by Jennifer Bates, an Amazon warehouse worker from Alabama – will come to a vote. The resolution calls on the board to incorporate employee representation in corporate decision-making, and it notes how this would also address the board’s current low representation of women and racial minorities, which constitute a major portion of Amazon’s hourly workforce.
“Hourly employees are the backbone of Amazon’s operational structure, and they deserve to have their voices heard,” said Hana Ivanhoe, Private Sector Advocacy and Campaigns Manager at Oxfam America. “Adding a worker to the board would not only be a crucial step toward improving Amazon’s dismal labor practices, it would also help mitigate the operational and financial risks of their struggling public image.”
Amazon has faced mounting criticism in recent years for its mistreatment of workers. Employees describe workplace conditions as “hellish,” “grueling,” and “unsafe,” and insufficient pandemic protections spurred nationwide walkouts across 50 Amazon facilities. Warehouse workers’ attempts to unionize have been met with hostility and litigation from Amazon management, all while employees are shortchanged by the company’s chronic miscalculation of paid medical leave.
Apart from creating an opportunity to confront worker concerns before they develop into reputational crises, adding an hourly worker to the board is also exceedingly profitable for investors. Research shows how companies that adopt this model of shared governance consistently see higher shareholder returns than comparable firms without worker participation. Increased worker voice in board decisions also contributes to employee retention, offering a clear solution to Amazon’s unprecedented rates of turnover.
“Employee representation in company leadership is in everyone’s best interest,” continued Ivanhoe. “Channeling worker voice would produce higher profits for Amazon’s shareholders, but most importantly it would create a safe and decent environment for hourly workers. When it comes time for shareholders to evaluate this vital policy, we hope they do the right thing and vote in support of a better future for everyone at Amazon.”
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Notes to editors:
Last year, Oxfam’s resolution received 27 percent of the shareholder vote, up from 18 percent in 2021.
Employee descriptions of workplace conditions were sourced from accounts published in the New York Post and Fortune.
Statistic on pandemic-related walkouts was sourced from CNBC.
A 2021 New York Times report exposed Amazon’s continual mishandling of paid and unpaid leave.