Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was found to have violated federal labor law due to comments he made regarding unionization at the company, according to a ruling by National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Administrative Law Judge Brian Gee. 

NLRB Judge Rules That Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Violated Federal Labor Law

In the NLRB ruling issued on Wednesday, CNBC reported that the judge cited interviews of Andy Jassy in 2022 with CNBC's "Squawk Box," Bloomberg Television, and The New York Times' DealBook conference.

These interviews occurred during a period of increased union campaigns within Amazon's warehouse and delivery business. In the CNBC interview, Jassy expressed concerns that employees might feel less empowered at work if they voted in favor of a union, and things would become slower and "more bureaucratic."

During the Bloomberg interview, Jassy suggested that initiating changes within the workplace could become more challenging without the ability to engage directly with management.

Jassy also emphasized at the DealBook conference that the absence of a union led to a workplace that was not bureaucratic or slow. In his ruling, Gee determined that Jassy's comments conveyed a message that selecting a union would diminish employee empowerment and impede efficiency, which constituted a violation of federal labor law.

The NLRB filed a complaint against Amazon and Jassy in October 2022. Gee deemed certain aspects of Jassy's comments lawful, specifically those related to changes in the employee-employer relationship.

However, statements indicating that employees would be less empowered and better off without a union were deemed unlawful as they went beyond permissible commentary on the employee-employer dynamic.

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Response of Amazon

Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis responded to the ruling, expressing disagreement with the NLRB's decision and saying the company intends to appeal.

In a statement, Paradis said that the ruling "reflects poorly on the state of free speech rights today" and that Amazon remains hopeful that reasonable discussion can continue on these issues "where all perspectives have an opportunity to be heard." 

The judge's recommendation includes an order for Amazon to refrain from making similar comments in the future and to disseminate a notice about the order to its workers nationwide. 

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