26 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 6, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
in Queens
Amazon says union report on HQ2 ‘ignoring facts’
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Amazon is dismissing a report released
this week by one of the city’s largest
unions that slams the e-commerce giant’s
anti-union, anti-worker, and anti-brick
and mortar activities.
Th e report, entitled “What’s Wrong
with Amazon?” released on Nov. 28 by
the Retail, Wholesale, and Department
Store Union drew the support of several
Queens lawmakers who have criticized
the deal by the state and city to bring
Amazon to Long Island City.
“Th is so-called report is a rehash of
inaccurate and exaggerated news stories
spanning several years that ignore the
facts,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
“Amazon makes substantial positive contributions
Katz calls on Amazon to front cost of BQX streetcar
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@cnglocal.com
@QNS
With Amazon heading to Long Island
City to establish part of its second headquarters
(HQ2), Borough President
Melinda Katz said on Monday that the
trillion-dollar corporation should pay
for the proposed Brooklyn-Queens
Connector (BQX) and other transit
improvements in the neighborhood.
Th e BQX, a streetcar proposal from the
de Blasio administration, would link the
tech hubs of Brooklyn and Queens by
an 11-mile north-south route along the
waterfront at the same rate as a subway
fare. Estimates for the BQX come in at
around $2.7 billion.
“A substantial and meaningful investment
by Amazon that helps ensure the
feasibility of BQX would be a fair
investment into its new home, and a welcome
opportunity for a good corporate
neighbor to directly benefi t the existing,
impacted communities of western
Queens,” Katz said. “Th e company and
the public sector must work together to
make investments in necessary transit
improvements that will support Queens
residents.”
Amazon predicts their expansion
into Queens will create up to 25,000
jobs, expected to put a strain on the
already-overburdened 7 train.
Although Katz did not mention specifi
c subway improvements in her statement,
she advocated instead for fulltime
service at the Long Island City and
Hunterspoint Avenue stations of the
Long Island Rail Road.
Katz added that in order for Amazon to
establish itself “equitably” in Queens, the
BQX should off er free transfers to the 13
subway lines to which it would connect.
One community concern since the
unveiling of the BQX proposal was the
loss of street parking that would be
incurred from taking away a lane of traffi
c for the streetcar route. To address this,
Katz suggested that the city heavily invest
in alternative municipal parking options.
Katz also said fulfi lling these transit
needs with the addition of Amazon
would bring the borough closer to realizing
the Western Queens Tech Strategic
Plan.
Simply known as the “Tech Plan,” this
aims to provide low-income, especially
the approximately 11,000 NYCHA residents
of western Queens, with the skills
necessary to get tech jobs in the growing
industry of the East River waterfront.
Th rough developing a local talent pool,
the plan aimed to attract more tech companies
to western Queens.
Access Queens co-founder Melissa
Orlando did not immediately respond
to a request for comment on the outlook
of the 7 train with the corporation eying
space in Long Island City or Katz’s call
for Amazon to off er funds for the BQX.
File Photo
to the economy, the communities
where we operate, and to the lives and
careers of our employees. We have created
over 250,000 full time, full benefi t jobs
across the U.S. that now have a minimum
$15 an hour pay.”
Astoria state Senator Michael Gianaris
and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer,
who represent the neighborhood, joined
Flushing Assemblyman Ron Kim at a
rally supporting the RWDSU report and
Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas of
Astoria re-emphasized her opposition to
the deal aft er learning of the company’s
alleged mistreatment of workers in the
U.S. and abroad in the 13-page report.
“Amazon has so much wealth and
power, it could treat its workers well and
still maintain a healthy bottom line, but
instead of fairly and humanely creating
good conditions for its warehouse workers,
it chooses to create a living hell,”
Simotas said in a statement.
Amazon has committed to creating
25,000 full-time jobs with an average
annual salary of $150,000 in the next ten
years while investing $2.5 billion to build
the 4 million square feet of offi ce space
at its HQ2 campus surrounding Anable
Basin with the possibility of expanding
the space to 8 million square feet and
40,000 jobs. New York City’s Deputy
Mayor Alicia Glen and Governor Andrew
Cuomo took to the airwaves this week to
defend the Amazon deal and push back
against the opposition.
And in a radio interview with WNYC
the same day, Governor Andrew Cuomo
said critics should get past the “ideological
debate” over the $3 billion package of
state and city incentives to lure Amazon
and instead join a more practical discussion
going forward.
Amazon stands by its track record
across the country during the past seven
years as well as its positive contributions
to its workers.
“We have invested more than $160
billion in the U.S. economy since 2011
which has created over 360,000 indirect
jobs in construction, hospitality, logistics
and other professional services,”
the Amazon spokesperson said. “Small
and medium sized businesses selling on
Amazon’s stores have created more than
900,000 jobs. Amazon respects the rights
of employees to choose to join or not
join a labor union. We fi rmly believe the
direct connection we have with employees
is the most eff ective way to understand
and respond to the needs of our
employees.”
Photo courtesy of Governor’s offi ce
Amazon denies it exploits workers as retail union charges in new report.
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