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NYC WORKS CELEBRATING LABOR IN THE BIG APPLE 32BJ SEIU president Hector Figueroa had hoped to unionize Amazon’s HQ2 campus once its established, but the opportunity, along with thousands of jobs, is now gone. Courtesy of 32BJ SEIU Amazon Continued from Page 25 indirect ones as well as the billions in revenue that the project was expected to bring into our city is unfortunate.” “For labor however, this is also a missed opportunity to engage one of the largest companies in the world and to create a pathway to union representation for one of the largest groups of predominantly non-union workers in our country,” he added. But Figueroa, who led the sevenyear campaign in which airport workers marched, held sit-ins and rallies, and committed civil disobedience such as shutting down the 94th Street Bridge approach to LaGuardia Airport in their fight for dignity and economic justice, will continue to fight. “As a labor union with members in 11 states and Washington D.C., 32BJ will continue to advocate for family sustaining, union jobs and our union is committed to organizing with working people in New York and other states across the country,” Figueroa said. “We remain supportive of the many efforts to unionize workers in New York, where Amazon will still have thousands of yet-to-be unionized employees who could benefit from union wages, benefits and representation. Union jobs remain the most effective pathway to the middle class for working people in America.” Gary LaBarbera, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, said he was stunned by the “unfortunate news” after the corporation had promised to use all-union construction at the HQ2 campus, providing at least 5,000 jobs building its 4 million-squarefoot complex with an opportunity to expand to 8 million square feet. LaBarbera lamented not just the union jobs however, but the loss of the 25,000 to 40,000 jobs the HQ2 campus would have provided. “Politics and pandering have won out over a once-in-a-lifetime investment in New York City’s economy, bringing with it tens of thousands of solid middle class jobs,” LaBarbera said. “This sends the wrong message to businesses all over the world looking to call New York home. Who will want to come now? We will remember which legislators forgot about us and this opportunity.” Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538. �� TIMESLEDGER,26 FEB. 22-28, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM link /TIMESLEDGER.COM link