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Dec. 10, 1019 By Kristen Torres
More than a dozen Queens lawmakers have signed on to a letter calling on the retail giant to improve working conditions in its factories.
The letter addressed to Amazon management comes just weeks after hundreds of New Yorkers protested the working conditions of Amazon’s mega fulfillment center in Staten Island, which employs about 2,000 workers. It also comes a number of months after Amazon opened a distribution center in Woodside.
State Comptroller Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson are among those who signed the letter, stating that officials “continue to receive incredibly disturbing reports of dangerous working conditions in the Amazon Warehouse on Staten Island.”
“We will be watching to be sure that Amazon management responds supportively to address and remedy the workers’ concerns,” the lawmakers wrote.
A total of 42 elected officials—15 from Queens–signed on to show their support for Amazon employees, including Queens State Senators Michael Gianaris, Jessica Ramos and James Sanders.
Council Members Daneek Miller, Karen Koslowitz, Barry Grodenchik, Rory Lancman, Francisco Moya, Donovan Richards, Jimmy Van Bramer and Antonio Reynoso alongside Assembly Members Aravella Simotas, Nily Rozic, Catalina Cruz and Ron Kim also signed their names to the letter.
“It seems clear that some major changes may be necessary in your corporation. We urge you to treat workers, allies and community members bringing these concerns to your attention with respect and appreciation,” the letter continued.
A recent study of Amazon’s data by Make the Road New York and New York Communities for Change revealed that the Staten Island fulfillment center is more dangerous than other notoriously dangerous professions, such as coal mining and waste collection.
“The grueling costs of working in these Amazon warehouses have been widely reported, from the stories of workers foregoing bathroom breaks to hit their productivity rates, to staggering turnover rates, injuries, and deaths on the warehouse floor,” the report said.
The injury rate at the Staten Island center is nearly three times higher than the national industry average for warehouse work, according to the report.
Amazon opened its Woodside center in July, which is located at the former Bulova building at 26-15 Boody Street.
The company’s plans for a campus in Long Island City ended abruptly in February after heavy opposition from community members and elected officials.
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7 Comments
If people are not happy with their working conditions, they should then resign and look for a job that provides the working conditions that they want…Simple as that…This is something the radical Left cannot understand
What’s wrong with the radical left icing the safety of middle class workers.
If you don’t like it, just get another job! Why didn’t you think of that?!
Progressive politicians trying to demonize Amazon to deflect from the fact that they cost us billions in revenue with their extortion tactics… then they try to claim working there..”is more dangerous than other notoriously dangerous professions, such as coal mining…” that is laughable on it’s face…how many amazon employees get black-lung working in a warehouse….Make the Road NY is the re-branded group ACORN who were thrown off the Federal dole for their corruption….they are the same clowns who went to Queensbridge and lied to the residents and told them Amazon wanted to take their apartments….birds of a feather flock together!!
let me tell you i strongly agreed with you is been happening all the time with this politician the same people with vote to represent us we give them the job that they have right now making more money than us in the case from make the road there are a bunch of funny they come out went is convenience round up some people to protest
Nothing wrong with this. Amazon has a horrible record re their blue collar record. I know several who work there. In fact I know a few high execs who work there and they think the place in a torture chamber too.
However, don’t go to the opposite extreme what happened in the 1950-1970s. Don’t create bureaucratic wasteful union practices, featherbedding, corrupt unions etc. etc.
Either extreme is wrong.
Ha ha. More dangerous than a coal mine. I dont think so!
All the Councilmember that signed their name to the letter should also focus on the violence towards the children and elderly people