In a statement, former Amazon employees Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa announced that Amazon has agreed to pay their back wages and must also post a notice to all tech and warehouse workers nationwide stating that workers cannot be fired for organizing and exercising their rights. The settlement is being hailed as a victory for workers' rights. The two employees claim they were fired for publicly advocating for climate change action and better treatment of warehouse workers. Amazon argues that they violated internal policies. Amazon spokesperson Jose Negrete confirmed the settlement, stating that it resolves the legal issues in the case. This settlement comes at a crucial time for Amazon, as the company is aiming to hire thousands of new employees while also trying to improve its reputation as an employer. Cunningham and Costa were part of a group that urged Amazon to address its climate impact, leading to the formation of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice. Over time, Cunningham and Costa expanded their demonstrations. Amazon informed them that they had breached its rule on external communications by discussing the company in public, prompting their group to rally 400 employees to do the same in defiance. At the beginning of the pandemic, they arranged an internal gathering for warehouse staff to discuss workplace safety with tech employees. Subsequently, both women were terminated by Amazon. Senator Elizabeth Warren raised concerns about potential reprisal in a letter to Amazon, and Tim Bray, a former vice president at Amazon's cloud computing division and internet pioneer, resigned in objection. This spring, attorneys from the National Labor Relations Board upheld the claims made by Costa and Cunningham that they were terminated in response to their efforts to organize. The NLRB's Seattle office then filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the company unfairly enforced its communication and solicitation policies to prevent employees from participating in protected, concerted activities. The hearing was initially set to begin on Tuesday morning but was postponed as the parties negotiated a settlement. This case is just one of several disputes Amazon has had with the labor board during the pandemic. In a notable example from August, an NLRB hearing officer recommended that a union election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama be invalidated due to Amazon's actions hindering a fair election process. Amazon denies any wrongdoing and has stated that they will appeal if the labor board's regional office agrees with the recommendation to overturn the election result that rejected the union.