Thousands of Amazon tech workers Tuesday signed an internal petition urging the company to offer paid time off for its workforce to vote on or before Election Day.
While Amazon is the second largest employer in the country, with 1,372,000 U.S. workers including Whole Foods employees, it does not offer paid time off to participate in federal elections.
More than 1,500 Amazon tech workers added their support to the petition one hour after it was launched internally Tuesday morning.
Amazon spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said in an emailed statement that the company has given employees information on how to register to vote and request time off.
The action was organized by the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a group of Amazon tech workers formed in 2018 to pressure their employer to commit to reducing fossil fuel emissions.
The group previously persuaded the company to reduce fossil fuel emissions in September 2019 after repeated calls from thousands of employees.
Other American companies, such as Target, PayPal and Apple, likewise provide paid allotted time for workers to vote. »
