Amazon is hiring detectives from the Pinkerton agency to spy on warehouse employees and monitor them for labor unionization efforts, according to a report by Vice's Motherboard.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the company has recruited operatives from Pinkerton, the spy agency that has a centuries-long history of disrupting worker union activities.
Dozens of leaked documents from Amazon's Global Security Operations Center also reveal that the company is monitoring social and environmental movements in Europe, especially during Amazon's peak season between Black Friday and Christmas.
The developments are the latest evidence that shows Amazon's massive attempts to monitor and crack down on its workers unionizing.
The documents details such efforts, including information that all the division's team members worldwide receive, such as the exact dates, times, and locations of labor organizing activities at warehouses, the source who reported the action, the number of participants at an event, and a description of what occurred.
The stated purpose of one of these documents is to "highlight potential risks/hazards that may impact Amazon operations, in order to meet customer expectation."
Amazon spokesperson Lisa Levandowski told Business Insider that "like any other responsible business, we maintain a level of security within our operations to help keep our employees, buildings, and inventory safe. That includes having an internal investigations team who work with law enforcement agencies as appropriate, and everything we do is in line with local laws and conducted with the full knowledge and support of local authorities."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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