Amazon workers plan walkout over return-to-office, climate policies

May 31 (UPI) -- Hundreds of Amazon walkers plan to walk off the job Wednesday afternoon in protest of company policies, including a return-to-office mandate, layoffs and the retail giant's environmental record.

The walkout, which is partly being organized by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT. Nearly 2,000 employees worldwide are expected to participate, including 900 in Seattle.

CNBC reported Amazaon recently initiated the largest layoffs in its 29-year history, cutting 27,000 jobs across its cloud computing, advertising and retail divisions, among several others, since last fall.

At the beginning of the month, the company mandated that its employees start coming into the office at least three days a week.

Amazon spokesman Brad Glasser said the company has been pleased with the results of this policy so far.

"There's more energy, collaboration, and connections happening, and we've heard this from lots of employees and the businesses that surround our offices," Glasser said, according to CNBC.

"We understand that it's going to take time to adjust back to being in the office more and there are a lot of teams at the company working hard to make this transition as smooth as possible for employees."

The workers are also protesting Amazon's climate policies after the company's emissions jumped 40% in 2021.