WASHINGTON — The American Consumer Institute issued the following statement from President Steve Pociask:
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleges that Amazon violated labor law when CEO Andy Jassy made broad, general comments about his thoughts on unionization in interviews with CNBC and Bloomberg. This complaint is unfortunate yet unsurprising from an administration that has continually villainized successful, widely popular businesses like Amazon.
That Jassy’s comments were personal beliefs and predictions rather than coercive threats is clear to anyone reading them in good faith. His ideas about the value of personalized relationships with management are protected not only by the First Amendment but by the National Labor Relations Act itself.
Unless the NLRB has forgotten to read the legislation that established it, the agency is willfully attacking Amazon for its CEO’s protected speech. The NLRB should drop its complaint before it continues to discredit itself by openly eroding the right to free expression.