Amazon's internal plans to advance its interests in California are laid bare in leaked memo

NEW YORK — An internal Amazon memo provides a stark look at the company's carefully laid plans to expand its influence in Southern California through a plethora of efforts, including burnishing its reputation through charity work and pushing back on the nation's “labor agitation.” Teamsters and other groups. .

The eight-page document – ​​titled 'community engagement plan' for 2024 – offers a rare glimpse into how one of America's largest companies is carrying out its PR objectives and trying to limit reputational damage from criticism of its activities . It also illustrates how Amazon aims to methodically court local politicians and community groups to further its interests in a region where it could be hampered by local moratoriums on warehouse development, and where it faces environmental backlash and labor activists.

The memo was leaked to the nonprofit Warehouse Worker Resource Center and posted online this week. The Associated Press has independently verified its authenticity.

When asked for comment, Amazon did not dispute the document's authenticity. But it said in a prepared statement that it was proud of its philanthropic efforts.

“Partnerships with community leaders and stakeholders help shape how Amazon gives back,” said Amazon spokesperson Jennifer Flagg. “Through employee volunteerism or our charitable donations, Amazon's intention has always been to help support the communities we serve in a way that best meets the needs of that community.”

In the memo, Amazon said its top public policy priority in Southern California is to address “labor agitation that uses false narratives and misinformation to sway public opinion and influence public policy.”

Earlier this year, the Teamsters united an Amazon-contracted delivery company in the city of Palmdale and then supported protests around company warehouses after Amazon refused to come to the negotiating table. Last year, dozens of Amazon workers at a company air hub in San Bernardino, a city about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, walked off the job to demand safety improvements and higher wages.

The same issues were raised by workers at a corporate warehouse in New York City, where employees voted to join the Amazon Labor Union in 2022. The e-commerce giant has been contesting the union's victory for more than a year in a case that is still being heard. reviewed by the National Labor Relations Board.

Amazon's memo also said the Seattle-based company faces “significant reputational challenges” in Southern California, where it “reportedly builds facilities in predominantly communities of color and poverty, negatively impacting their health.” ”

The Inland Empire, a region of Southern California that Amazon discusses in the document, has seen tremendous growth in warehouse development in recent decades. But there has also been a groundswell of local opposition to new warehouses, with several municipalities imposing moratoriums on the developments.

In January, dozens of environmental and community groups sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to issue a one- to two-year moratorium on new warehouses in the area. current legislation” that allows pollution and congestion.

In the memo outlining Amazon's goals for next year, the company said it plans to “earn the trust” of community groups and nonprofits, such as the San Bernardino Valley College Foundation, Children's Fund and Feeding America, to to oppose state laws. That will continue to threaten the region's economy and Amazon's interests.” The two bills cited include state legislation that, if passed, would ban companies from building large warehouses within 1,000 feet of private homes, apartments, schools, daycares and other facilities.

The memo also says the company plans to “positively influence” legislative efforts to ban single-use plastics by “presenting Amazon as a leader in sustainability and countering the voices of environmentalists against Amazon.”

It also details local politicians' involvement with Amazon, saying the company has “cultivated” Michael Vargas, the mayor of the city of Perris, through pandemic-related “donations to support the region, helping him and his team touring and continued involvement.” Vargas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Media coverage is one of Amazon's biggest concerns. The document previews the company's goals to generate positive news stories for itself through charitable campaigns, including through a food drive hosted by the Los Angeles Food Bank, where employees would drop off donations “at major media moments that are broadcast/posted.” The memo suggested hosting similar moments at a back-to-school donation event and a holiday toy drive, where people are dropped off and Amazon executives, as well as groups that receive grants from the company, “talk about Amazon's impact speak” to the media.

The company also says it will not continue to support organizations that “have not had a measurable positive impact” on its brand and reputation, and that it will stop funding groups hostile to its interests. It noted that it will stop donating to The Cheech, an art museum in Riverside, citing an incident this year in which the center featured a local artist depicting an Amazon facility on fire and giving an interview in which he expressed “hostility expressed” toward the company, the memo said. .

In a section of the document titled “Dogs Not Barking,” the memo lists three things Amazon will be closely watching in the region next year: warehouse moratoriums, labor organizing among contracted delivery drivers and community groups not accepting charitable donations. It says some elected leaders have been reluctant to accept political contributions from the company.

Sheheryar Kaoosji, executive director of Warehouse Worker Resource Center, said in a statement that the organization works directly with Amazon warehouse workers in the region, who consistently talk about low wages, high injury rates and other concerns.

“These are critical issues that impact the entire Inland Empire, but specifically the 45,000 people who work for Amazon here,” Kaoosji said. But, she said, the memo describes Amazon's strategy “to cover up these legitimate concerns with donations, newspaper clippings and support for policy changes that benefit Amazon or harm their competitors.”