Amazon Plans ‘Racial-Equity Audit’ Led by Loretta Lynch

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Following calls from shareholders for more transparency on the effects of company policy, Amazon will be conducting a “racial-equity audit” of its hourly workers led by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

CNBC reports that Amazon plans to conduct a racial-equity audit of its hourly workers following calls by shareholders to provide more transparency about how company policies affect diversity, equity, and workplace conclusion at the e-commerce giant.

ROMEOVILLE, IL - AUGUST 01: Workers pack and ship customer orders at the 750,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center on August 1, 2017 in Romeoville, Illinois. On August 2, Amazon will be holding job fairs at several fulfillment centers around the country, including the Romeoville facility, in an attempt to hire more than 50,000 workers. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Jeff Bezos/Instagram

In a recent securities filing, Amazon stated that the audit will evaluate “any disparate racial impacts on our nearly one million U.S. hourly employees resulting from our policies, programs and practices.” Amazon has employed the services of the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to conduct the audit, which will be led by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, a partner at the firm.

Recently, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli refiled a proposal for a racial-equity audit to be voted on at Amazon’s next shareholder meeting which is set to take place next month. The shareholder proposal states:

Amazon has taken some measures to address racial justice and equity, including committing financial resources and publishing workforce diversity data.

However, Amazon faces controversies, some significant, that pose various risks and raise questions related to the company’s overall strategy and the company’s alignment with its public statements.

A similar measure was submitted by DiNapoli last year and won support from around 44 percent of Amazon’s shareholders but ultimately was rejected by shareholders.

Read more at CNBC here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com

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