General Discussion

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts) Wed Feb 20, 2019, 09:07 PM Feb 2019

Union issue, not subsidies uproar, may have soured Amazon on New York

From the article:

Instead, on Thursday the company announced that it was canceling its headquarters plan for the site, selected after a lengthy and extremely public search.

Importantly, a top Amazon official had testified before the New York City Council that it would not remain neutral in any union bids by its New York staff — putting pro-union politicians like Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio in a tricky spot.

That spot was even worse for the two unions who were supporting Amazon, The Building and Construction Trades and the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ.

To read more:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-amazon-hq2-new-york-nydn-20190214-story.html

Bezos is ferociously anti-union. Unions allow workers to bargain collectively, with power, and predatory capitalists hate anything that weakens their own power to control their workers.

Bezos, the richest man in the world, got rich partly by underpaying his warehouse workers, and he has no intentions of changing his behavior.

He has no shame.

11 replies

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Highlight:

Union issue, not subsidies uproar, may have soured Amazon on New York (Original Post) guillaumeb Feb 2019 OP

That thought had crossed my mind bitterross Feb 2019 #1

What bothers me is that Mr. Amazon killed the deal without even a phone call. WTF is that about? nt UniteFightBack Feb 2019 #2

Bezos wants to control his workers. guillaumeb Feb 2019 #3

HE MADE FAWKING BILLIONS AND DOESN'T PAY FEDERAL TAXES!!!!!!!! a kennedy Feb 2019 #4

Yes, but he provides cheap products, guillaumeb Feb 2019 #6

Bezos is the worst type of hypocritical libertarian drmeow Feb 2019 #5

Agreed. guillaumeb Feb 2019 #7

The subsidies... manhattan123 Feb 2019 #8

Welcome to DU, and this discussion. guillaumeb Feb 2019 #9

Bezos didn't get wealthy by paying his workers decent salaries gratuitous Feb 2019 #10

I agree. guillaumeb Feb 2019 #11

bitterross

(4,066 posts)

1. That thought had crossed my mind

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 09:44 PM

Feb 2019

I believe that more than anything else I have heard.

UniteFightBack

(8,231 posts)

2. What bothers me is that Mr. Amazon killed the deal without even a phone call. WTF is that about? nt

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 09:45 PM

Feb 2019

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)

3. Bezos wants to control his workers.

Reply to UniteFightBack (Reply #2)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 09:52 PM

Feb 2019

And predatory capitalists always hate unions.

a kennedy

(29,675 posts)

4. HE MADE FAWKING BILLIONS AND DOESN'T PAY FEDERAL TAXES!!!!!!!!

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 09:56 PM

Feb 2019

Please think about that....that is all we should be saying OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER.

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)

6. Yes, but he provides cheap products,

Reply to a kennedy (Reply #4)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 10:59 PM

Feb 2019

built on a classic sweatshop model.

drmeow

(5,020 posts)

5. Bezos is the worst type of hypocritical libertarian

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 10:01 PM

Feb 2019

He literally would have no business at all if it weren't for people in the 70's and 80's paying a lot of taxes that funded DARPA yet he is rabidly anti-tax. I cannot manage to convince my husband not to shop at Amazon - instead he pays for prime. Drives me nuts.

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)

7. Agreed.

Reply to drmeow (Reply #5)

Wed Feb 20, 2019, 11:00 PM

Feb 2019

He runs the 21st century sweatshop.

manhattan123

(302 posts)

8. The subsidies...

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Thu Feb 21, 2019, 12:32 AM

Feb 2019

Just to note, the subsidies were not going away, they were still in place, no matter the protests. Amazon's decision to back out had nothing to do with the subsidies.