NYC WORKS
CELEBRATING LABOR
IN THE BIG APPLE
32BJ SEIU President Hector Figueroa had hoped to unionize Amazon’s
HQ2 campus once it was established, but the opportunity, along with
thousands of jobs, is now gone.
Divided over Amazon
AMAZON continued from p. 31
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-tobe
unionized employees who could
benefit from union wages, benefits
COURTESY OF 32BJ SEIU
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-square-foot 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.
32 February 21, 2019 TVG Schneps Media
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