As workers, we’re asking Amazon to give us the time to vote.
6,000 (and counting) Amazon tech workers are asking Amazon to provide a full day/shift of paid time off for all employees to vote.
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Join us this Saturday at our voter registration, rally, and march in downtown Seattle and to an Amazon warehouse to tell Amazon: workers must have paid time off to vote immediately.
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Democracy thrives when people from all different backgrounds, races, and employment are able to participate. But in 2016, 42% of eligible US voters stayed home. 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 paid time off would be available to all employees to use up until election day to vote, register, or volunteer for our democracy. Here is how some employees say they would use this time:
- “Even though I’m not an American citizen, I believe democracy can also go beyond voting. I can’t vote here, but I have participated in several phone and text campaigns to share resources on how to vote…I would be so excited for Amazon to give us a day off because not only could I dedicate a full day to supporting democracy, I’d also know that I’m not alone, that my company supports me and my coworkers all working together to strengthen our democracy.” — Amazon Sr. Product Manager
- “It troubles me that my colleagues have to choose between showing up for work and making a living or showing up to vote.” Amazon warehouse worker
- “As an employee, I was proud when Amazon listened to activists and announced a companywide $15 minimum wage last year, especially because they called on other companies and Congress to take action. But I have been disappointed this year with our lack of action on making sure workers have the ability to vote. We are less than a month away from the election and I haven’t seen any communication from Amazon about what we’re doing to support voter turnout. How can we have a healthy democracy when our country’s second-largest company won’t prioritize voter participation?” — Amazon Sr. Product Manager
As the United States’ second largest employer, Amazon can have a huge impact on voter participation. A full day/shift off could empower over 600,000 Amazon workers to be active participants in our democracy. It would also send a signal that voting is a responsibility for us all.
With reduced polling locations in many states, a full day/shift off is necessary to ensure nobody is unable to vote because they have to work. Hundreds of companies, including Wal-mart, Coca-Cola, Twitter, Nordstrom, and Apple have already announced election time off for their employees. Amazon is behind the pack.
Our democracy only works when everyone has the ability to participate. Join us to tell Amazon that starting this year and every year going forward, all workers should have a paid day off to vote.
If you work at Amazon, connect with Amazon Employees for Climate Justice here https://bit.ly/AECJ-updates to get updates about this campaign. More to come!
