Following
months of community and political opposition, Amazon on Thursday
announced it was canceling a $3 billion plan to open a headquarters in
New York City — a massive blow to Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo, who
rolled out the red carpet for the company just months ago.
The project would have brought 25,000 jobs to a campus in Queens, state and city officials had said — but it was met with fierce opposition from some elected officials, on whom Cuomo heaped blame Thursday.
"[A] small group politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community — which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City — the state's economic future and the best interests of the people of this state. The New York State Senate has done tremendous damage. They should be held accountable for this lost economic opportunity,” Cuomo said.
In
a statement, the online retail giant blamed the Valentine’s Day breakup
on the frosty reception it had received from local pols.
“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” the statement said. “While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”
Amazon's anti-union stance did not help its case with critics. While it had committed to using union labor to build its offices and for building services — earning the support of the Building and Construction Trades and SEIU Local 32BJ — a top Amazon executive testified before the City Council that it would fight any union bids by New York staff.
But
union officials said they’d made progress in the 24 hours before the
deal imploded. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union,
Teamsters and AFL-CIO met with four top Amazon executives and Cuomo
Wednesday, according to RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum.
“I think the richest man on Earth feels that nobody is supposed to tell him anything,” Appelbaum said. “I think that on Valentine’s Day, Jeff Bezos showed his contempt for New Yorkers. He says I'm going to tell you what it's going to be, you either accept it or I leave. we were in negotiations — he doesn't feel he has to negotiate with anyone. It's a shameful performance by the richest man in the world. It's a worse scandal than the National Enquirer.”
An anonymous reader made an nice observation on this a few days ago:
"The deal should've been negotiated transparently, with pros and cons discussed publicly, including what jobs and benefits (GED completion, skill training, childcare, etc.) Amazon would provide."
But #poorBezos and amazon decided, along with the idiots governor and mayor, to do all this in secret. And you know what, this LIC deal was as big a hoax as their nationwide city exploration pageant. Really, why else would they decide on two other cities for what's suppose to be a second headquarters, which is an oxymoron itself. This was to poach more data from the government and also to make pariahs of their opponents, notably on the rising progressive movement and unions.
I know a lot of people hate Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez here, but this isn't her district. She only made a few comments on this rancid deal and amazon and the local news media are trying to tie her for their abrupt departure. That is cheap manipulation of the public.
22 comments:
Yeah, they're real losers! Good thing they'll take their 25000 jobs elsewhere. Jokes on them, right?
Dumblasio the "progressive" that bent backwards for them lol
Quite amusing how the pro-Amazon people are rushing about proclaiming "25,000 jobs, all 100k+"
I don't know. I think it was a good deal for the local community. Better than any of those Hollywood deals.
Of course they can open up shop where they are appreciated. Good for them.
All of the 'Mom and Pop killing business' complainers I would ask: do you buy locally or use Amazon? If so why do you pay more? The day of the Mom and Pop store is OVER.
Sad day for NYC and its business killing culture.
Of course Cuomo and DeBlasio want to make it look like they are business friendly with this over reaching tax break laden deal. How about instead of one big deal you just cut back on taxes and regulations so business would want to open here? Is that too novel an approach?
I love Amazon, I get free shipping in most cases, often 2 day, and find things I never find in the local bookstore or variety store. I am disappointed today.
Pols blew it for themselves. How many times did they back stupid stadiums that would provide 'jobs year round'. How many times did they claim all these developments would provide 'affordable housing'. Giving away public land for development, etc. Why wouldn't be cynical about Amazon's promises?
The fact that Deblasio and Cuomo managed to come together behind closed doors for this is very telling. I can only imagine the amount of 'future donations' Amazon would have bestowed on them.
You need a lot thicker skin than that to make it in NYC. Bunch of cry babies. Every where you go in NY there's a protest. I guess they couldn't take the heat :P
Don't worry JVB has plan to replace Amazon. It includes plenty of homeless shelters and comfortable places for junkies to shoot up.
"She (Ocasio-Cortez)only made a few comments on this rancid deal and amazon..."
Wrong. She has been harping on the Amazon move to LIC since it was announced in November.
"That is cheap manipulation of the public."
Correct. Ocasio-Cortez is more guilty than the media. And why is she opening her yap when the proposed site isn't even in her district?
She probably wants everyone to enter the world of hope and joy that she occupied before assuming her current job, bartender. Now there is solid high paying job with an unlimited future. She should return to it.
Who needs transparency with the hacks of the Democratic Party? The company would be stuck with bs diversity programs, hiring illegals, told not to provide equipment to ICE, in short, be a dependency on the Queens Democratic Party. The point here is that the rest of NYC - or the country for that matter - does not want to be run like Queens.
The other point here is that Queens has overplayed its hand. The old adage, "what happens in Queens stays in Queens" no longer works. Now the big guys will start to take a close look at the clique running this borough. They certainly have the resources to finally purge us of that cancer. As Twain once said, "Overreaching don't pay." This might be the straw that finally breaks a century of Queens corruption.
I didn't mind this Amazon deal. But I think they should have agreed to unionize here and that they agreed to hire those living here in ny before they look outside of this city or state. I think it would have benefitted us if those two things were agreed on in a deal to move here. I have heard horror stories that Amazon likes to hire and then fire people a few months later, so nobody ever really has a stable job in Amazon.
This is great news for Queens. We are already severely overdeveloped. We do not need any more buildings or people here. This would have caused more people to move here, driving up rents and destroying more neighborhoods as bigger apartment buildings would be built to accomidate more people.
There's no parking, the roads are congested all times of the day and the transit system is a joke. We can't handle any more people or companies.
What? Amazon couldn't have their cake and eat it too. Awww what a shame. I would love to stay and chat but I have to back to work and make money to pay my TAXES.
https://qns.com/story/2019/02/15/they-let-us-down-queens-nycha-reps-blast-gianaris-van-bramer-for-amazon-deal-failure/
Finally a win for the every day New York taxpayer. There is no reason we should be giving away city owned land and public tax dollars to a private company worth billions of dollars while our public buildings, parks, roads, and infrastructure fall apart around us. If Amazon wants to come here they can buy land at the market rate like everyone else, follow the established zoning of the area they want to move into, and not have taxpayers give them any money for it. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing a private company.
This blog has turned to sh*t
Anyone celebrating this turn of events is a moron.
Yes the joke is on them. And now people are organizing in Crystal City and Nashville too.
This HQ2 is a charade.
Thanks for reminding me of Mayor Baby Huey, I am trying to find that Harvard interview he did. Unfathomable that he still went there only a day after Det. Simonsen got killed by his fellow cops.
These mega deals subsidized by taxpayers never make sense, if LIC was a good place for a giant corp HQ there would be other firms eager to build there without a govt subsidy. As it is NYC stinks as place to do business.
25000 High paying jobs? Not buying that crap. He’s not wealthiest guy because he pays out big bucks to his employees.
Way to go New York! Now I remember why I left!
I'm happy they are gone. People keep harping on 25K, but this is an arbitrary number. Amazon couldn't account for all the jobs lost when they moved in nor could they guarantee those 25K jobs would go to our CURRENT COMMUNITY... and not import their 6 figure employees.
It will take 25 years to build a new subway tunnel under the east river to Manhattan but reverse commuting to say Kew Gardens at 8am is a breeze.
Plus what type of jobs? Do you think anyone in the projects will have the education or fluent English skills to apply for them? How many janitors and floor waxers do you really need today?
"they'll take their 25000 jobs elsewhere"
That was 25,000 jobs for the whole new east coast operation including a huge shipping hub in Virginia. Amazons suits refused to answer the question when asked how many local people they would actually employ in LIC.
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