Amazon proceeds with Qns. distribution
Plans for Woodside facility could reignite battle with labor forces that derailed mega-deal
Amazon is moving to open new distribution center in a former Bulova facility in Queens, April 29,
2019. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Chamber of Commerce said
Monday. “We welcome the jobs
that will help our borough’s
economy grow.”
San Francisco-based
Terreno Realty purchased the
property squeezed between the
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
and St. Michael’s Cemetery
from the Bulova Corporation
last March, for $25.2 million.
Amazon’s lease began in
December.
On Feb. 14, the day that
Amazon canceled its Queens
HQ2, borough elected officials
who opposed the plan said
they’d pivot their protests to
the Woodside facility.
Rashad Long, a former
employee of the Staten
Island warehouse, said he
was terminated in February
after protesting against the
company and describing a
working environment that he
said was characterized by few
breaks and extreme heat.
A complaint, filed by
the Retail and Department
Store Workers Union, is
being reviewed by the National
Labor Relations Board.
Amazon said he was dismissed
for a safety violation.
Workers at Amazon’s Staten
Island distribution center said
in December they hoped to join
a union, describing routine
12-hour shifts and what
they saw as unsafe working
conditions. Amazon called the
claims “false.”
State Sen. Jessica Ramos
(D-Queens) said she is“
extremely concerned” about
the reports of working
conditions in Staten Island.
“This community will not
stand for bad jobs.”
Calling for the company
to stand aside and allow
workers to unionize, she said:
“We ask Amazon for card
check neutrality, so that we
can ensure pay, benefits, and
working conditions are written
in a binding contract between
Amazon and its workers. We
will not rest until Amazon
can guarantee they will be a
good neighbor.”
The fulfillment warehouse
requires no government
approvals beyond the
building permits.
A job posting for Woodside
shift manager positions
demands employee fitness
for high weights, endurance
– and temperatures: “Must
be able to lift up to 49 pounds
with or without reasonable
accommodation”; “Must be
able to stand/walk for up to
10-12 hours”; “Must be able to
work in an environment where
the temperature may vary
between 60 and 90 degrees,
and will occasionally exceed
90 degrees.”
Amazon currently
advertises wages of $17.50 to
$19.90 an hour for warehouse
workers at its Staten Island
fulfillment center.
In January, Amazon
confirmed it had leased
property for a third New York
City fulfillment warehouse, in
Hunts Point, The Bronx.
This story was originally
published by THE CITY, an
independent, nonprofit news
organization dedicated to hardhitting
reporting that serves the
people of New York.
Things are getting brighter at Jamaica station
BY BILL PARRY
Jamaica residents will soon
be seeing their train station in
a much different light.
The New York Power
Authority and the Port
Authority have partnered
to complete a nearly $1.2
million lighting upgrade at
Jamaica Station, the huge
transportation hub that serves
millions each year.
The energy-saving
improvements will reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by
more than 800 tons a year, the
equivalent of taking roughly
155 cars off the road, and lower
electric bills by nearly $89,000
annually. The new lighting
system will modernize the
station and increase the safety
and security of travelers at
the station which provides
connections to the Long Island
A new LED lighting system like this is being installed at the
Jamaica Station transportation hub. Courtesy of NYPA
Rail Road, the subway system,
and the AirTrain to JFK
International Airport.
The energy efficient project
is being carried out under
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s
BuildSmart NY program,
a comprehensive statewide
initiative to increase energy
efficiency in public buildings.
“This energy efficiency
project at Jamaica Station
will modernize a major New
York City transportation hub
while significantly reducing
greenhouse gas emissions,
reducing operating costs and
saving taxpayer dollars,”
NYPA President and CEO Gil
C. Quinones said. “NYPA,
through administering the
Governor’s BuildSmartNY
initiative, has undertaken
hundreds of projects like
this one at state and local
government facilities, making
a big impact in lowering New
York’s energy use.”
The project called for the
replacement of inefficient
metal halide and fluorescent
fixtures with LED technology,
reducing energy-use, lowering
maintenance costs, and
improving light quality at the
transportation hub. The ninefloor
facility operates 24/7
to accommodate the needs of
those traveling to and from
the station.
In addition to the Jamaica
Station project, NYPA and the
Port Authority have partnered
to complete $19 million in
energy efficiency measures at
JFK and LaGuardia airports
and One World Trade under
BuildSmart NY.
BY CHRISTINE CHUNG, THE CITY
This story was originally
published on April 30,
2019 by THE CITY.
Amazon is deepening its
roots in Queens, more than two
months after zapping its HQ2
plans in Long Island City —
stirring opponents to declare
they’re not done fighting yet.
Three miles away in
Woodside, Terreno Realty
Corporation obtained
Department of Buildings
approval Monday to proceed
with $5.6 million in construction
at a warehouse where Amazon
signed a ten-year lease to open
its second fulfillment center in
New York City.
City Councilmember Costa
Constantinides (D-Queens),
whose district includes the
distribution center, said he is
“troubled by Amazon moving
forward with plans,” calling
the internet giant anti-labor.
“New York City was the
laboratory for the rights of
workers to organize in the
fight for fair wages and good
benefits,” Constantinides
said. “To allow this type of
corporation to plant its flag in
western Queens goes against
our neighborhoods’ values,
and we will make sure anyone
who works in our district isn’t
subjected to the long hours
or harsh treatment people
are allegedly subjected to
elsewhere by Amazon.”
Amazon and Terreno Realty
Corporation did not respond
to requests for comment from
THE CITY. The renovations
approved Monday include new
plumbing fixtures and interior
partitions, ceilings and doors,
according to permits and
applications.
Opponents to the HQ2
plan included concerns about
Amazon’s labor record on a
list that included ire over $3
billion in tax incentives and
a grant. Supporters pointed to
the 25,000 to 40,000 jobs and $27
billion in revenue the project
was expected to generate.
In announcing the nowdefunct
HQ2 deal, the offices of
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov.
Andrew Cuomo projected that
the Woodside distribution
center would create more than
2,000 jobs.
“Queens is a great place
to do business, due to a large,
skilled and diverse workforce,
among many reasons,” Thomas
Grech, president of the Queens
TIMESLEDGER,4 MAY 3-9, 2019 QNS.COM
/QNS.COM