By: Guardian
April 15, 2021
Amazon needs to “do a better job” for its employees, Jeff Bezos told shareholders in his final letter as chief executive of the online giant, but he also pushed back against criticism of the company’s work practices.
Bezos, who reclaimed his title as the world’s richest person this year, said that Amazon’s recent defeat of an attempt by some workers to form the company’s first union in Alabama did not bring him “comfort”.
Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer voted against forming a union by a more than a 2-to-1 margin – a big win for the retailer that has fiercely resisted unionisation for decades.
“Does your chair take comfort in the outcome of the recent union vote in Bessemer? No, he doesn’t,” Bezos wrote in the letter.