Amazon's Employee Chat App Will Reportedly Block Words Like 'Union'
In the wake of a successful unionization effort among workers in Staten Island, Amazon will reportedly block certain words from its planned internal employee messaging app that detract from a "positive community."
As The Intercept reports, internal company documents detail a word monitor that will restrict terms that disparage working conditions. Amazon is apparently concerned about the "dark side of social media" and wants its app to function as a one-to-one chat app versus a social platform where workers can talk as a group.
But the list of "inappropriate" words is sure to raise eyebrows among those fighting for better working conditions at the e-commece giant. It reportedly includes: union, grievance, pay raise, compensation, ethics, slave, master, freedom, diversity, injustice, fairness, this is concerning, slave labor, prison, plantation, and restrooms. That last one is presumably a reference to claims that employees relieved themselves in bottles during long hours.
Amazon did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment. But a spokesperson told The Intercept that the app in question is still in the planning stages and may not launch. "If it does launch at some point down the road, there are no plans for many of the words you're calling out to be screened. The only kinds of words that may be screened are ones that are offensive or harassing, which is intended to protect our team," a spokersperson said.
Last week, Amazon workers in Staten Island voted 2,654 to 2,131 to form the company's first unionized warehouse, and another local warehouse is scheduled to vote on unionization later this month. That came after a failed effort in Alabama last year. Earlier this year, Amazon ended its "FC Ambassador"
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