Amazon CEO Andy Jassy broke labor laws by saying workers are ‘better off’ without a union

The National Labor Relations Board found that Jassy’s comments dissuaded employees from supporting unions.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy violated labor laws when making “coercive statements” about unions during interviews conducted in 2022, a judge for the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Wednesday.

The ruling, which stems from a complaint filed in October 2022, cites three instances in which Jassy commented negatively about unions. During an interview with CNBC in April 2022, Jassy said employees are “better off” not forming a union. Jassy made similar remarks during The New York Times’ DealBook event and Bloomberg’s Technology Summit.

“What we tell our employees in our fulfillment centers is that we think they’re better off without a union for a few reasons,” Jassy said at the DealBook Summit. “One is we try to hire people who we empower, if they find ways that they can make the experience better for customers or their fellow teammates, they can just go fix it. You know, they, they don’t have to go through a union. It’s not bureaucratic, it’s not slow.”

In the ruling, NLRB Judge Brian Gee said that Jassy’s statements “threatened employees,” implying that “if they selected a union, they would become less empowered and would find it harder to get things done quickly.” Judge Gee recommends that Amazon cease and desist from making threatening statements about unions. He also recommends that Amazon post a notice at its facilities that reminds workers of their rights.

“We strongly disagree that any part of these comments were inappropriate and intend to appeal,” Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis says in an emailed statement to The Verge. “The decision reflects poorly on the state of free speech rights today, and we remain optimistic that we will be able to continue to engage in a reasonable discussion on these issues where all perspectives have an opportunity to be heard.”

Amazon has had a rough history with the NLRB. It has faced numerous labor law violations and complaints in the past and has even claimedthe agency is unconstitutional.