Amazon VP quits his million dollar job 'in dismay' at firing of whistleblowers who raised unsafe warehouse working conditions - and he slams the tech giant's actions as 'chickens**t'

An Amazon executive has quit his job 'in dismay' at the firing of whistleblowers who raised concerns about unsafe warehouse working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Engineer Tim Bray announced he was leaving the online retail giant after more than five years, citing the 'vein of toxicity running through the company culture'. He also slammed the tech giant's actions as 'chickens**t'.

The VP at Amazon Web Services says at least six of his colleagues have been fired for speaking out; Courtney Bowden, Gerald Bryson, Maren Costa, Emily Cunningham, Bashir Mohammed, and Chris Smalls. 

In a blog post, Bray says the move will 'probably cost me over a million (pre-tax) dollars' but adds: 'Firing whistleblowers...is evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison'

He adds: 'The warehouse workers are weak and getting weaker, what with mass unemployment and (in the US) job-linked health insurance. 

'So they're gonna get treated like crap, because capitalism. Any plausible solution has to start with increasing their collective strength.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Amazon for comment.  

Tim Bray, pictured, announced he has quit his job 'in dismay' at the firing of whistleblowers who raised concerns about unsafe warehouse working conditions amid coronavirus

Workers protest against the failure from their employers to provide adequate protections in the workplace of the Amazon delivery hub on National May Day Walkout/Sickout by workers in Hawthorne, California

A message is painted by activists on the street outside of one of homes of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Washington on April 29

Amazon has been facing intense scrutiny by lawmakers and unions over whether it is doing enough to protect staff from the coronavirus. 

And former Google employee Bray, who has already spoken out about Amazon's response to climate change, said he 'snapped' after the firing of Cunningham and Costa. 

He says he escalated his concerns 'through the proper channels and by the book' but argues Amazon's actions reflect a 'corresponding lack of vision about the human costs of the relentless growth and accumulation of wealth and power'. 

Fired Cunningham thanked Bray for his resignation, writing: 'Amazon VP @timbray resigns over #covid firings of me, @marencosta, and others. 

'Says Amazon "firing whistleblowers" is "evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison."

'Thank you, Tim.' 

'The warehouse workers are weak and getting weaker, what with mass unemployment and (in the US) job-linked health insurance. So they're gonna get treated like crap, because capitalism', Bray writes.

'Any plausible solution has to start with increasing their collective strength.' 

Former Amazon employee, Christian Smalls, stands with fellow demonstrators during a protest outside of an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island

Designers Emily Cunningham, left, and Maren Costa, right, both critics of the online retail giant's working conditions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, were fired from Amazon

Bray also noted that a number of Attorney Generals have raised concerns about the working conditions in Amazon facilities.

The New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote the retail giant slamming the health and safety measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as 'inadequate'.

Her office says Amazon may have acted illegally in firing a whistleblower warehouse worker 'to silence his complaints'.  

Amazon terminated Christian Smalls on grounds that he put others at risk by violating his paid quarantine when he joined a demonstration at Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center.

But the letter, sent to the company on April 22, adds that preliminary findings 'raise serious concern that Amazon may have discharged (Smalls) in order to silence his complaints and send a threatening message to other employees that they should also keep quiet about any health and safety concerns'.     

'Amazon's health and safety measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are so inadequate that they may violate several provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act,' James's office wrote in the letter.  

Amazon, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, said it has taken 'extreme measures' to keep its employees safe, according here to a company statement cited by NPR, which first reported on the letter. 

The Seattle-based firm has been facing public scrutiny over safety and working conditions of warehouse, delivery and retail gig workers in the United States after cases of COVID-19 were reported in some of its facilities. 

Workers across the U.S. have protested at what they say are unsafe working conditions. As well as the walkouts in Staten Island and Minnesota, staff have protested in Chicago and Detroit. 

But the company itself last week warned that it could post a loss in the second quarter as it tacked on about $4 billion in costs related to the coronavirus pandemic. 

For the quarter ended in March, Amazon's revenue rose by 26 percent from last year, to $75.45 billion, as the retail giant recorded a surge in demand for online orders of essential goods during pandemic.

However, profits were down 30 percent from the same period last year amid higher spending, with earnings per share of $5.01 missing Wall Street expectations of $6.25 per share.

The e-commerce giant has been spending heavily to keep up with a surge in online orders. Amazon had earlier said it would hire about 175,000 workers and raise wages by $2 for hourly workers as well as overtime pay, which would increase expenses by nearly $700 million. 

'If you're a shareowner in Amazon, you may want to take a seat, because we're not thinking small,' CEO Jeff Bezos said in a press release.

'Under normal circumstances, in this coming Q2, we'd expect to make some $4 billion or more in operating profit,' Bezos continued.

'But these aren't normal circumstances. Instead, we expect to spend the entirety of that $4 billion, and perhaps a bit more, on COVID-related expenses getting products to customers and keeping employees safe.' 

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez. Bezos is once again the richest person in the world. Whereas many companies have suffered during business shutdowns, Amazon has thrived and has even hired 100,000 new employees to cope with the surge in demand

Bashir Mohamed was let go from the Minnesota plant where had worked for three years last week after protests there, Buzzfeed reports. 

Designers Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, both critics of the online retail giant's working conditions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, were also let go.  

Amazon say Mohamed was fired because he refused to speak to a supervisor; Cunningham and Costa for 'repeatedly violating internal policies'.   

In March, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he ordered the city's human rights commission to open an investigation into the dismissal of Smalls. 

A spokesman has previously said: 'We encourage anyone to compare the health and safety measures Amazon has taken, and the speed of their implementation, during this crisis with other retailers.' 

But James' office is also said to looking into 'other cases of potential illegal retaliation' against workers. 

The letter adds: 'This Office has learned that many workers are fearful about speaking out about their concerns following the termination of Mr. Smalls' employment.

'This is a particularly dangerous message to send during a pandemic, when chilling worker speech about health and safety practices could literally be a matter of life and death.'  

It also calls on the e-commerce giant to close some warehouses for 'adequate sanitization and disinfection'. 

Leaked notes previously revealed the trillion dollar company's plans to vilify Smalls. 

Top bosses referred to Smalls as 'not smart' and discussed placing him as the face of the workers' walkout.

'He's not smart, or articulate, and to the extent the press wants to focus on us versus him, we will be in a much stronger PR position than simply explaining for the umpteenth time how we're trying to protect workers,' wrote Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky. 

'They pretty much retaliated against me for speaking out,' Smalls had told The New York Post. 'I don't know how they sleep at night.'