Posted on Feb 14, 2019 2019 at 18:50Updated Feb 15, 2019 2019 at 9:35
Stupor at Big Apple: Amazon is backtracking and will not finally install its second headquarters in New York, contrary to what had been announced in November.“After much thought and deliberation, we have decided not to go any further”, explains the company in a press release.
“For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive and constructive relationships with local authorities, which are long-term supporters, she continues. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our projects and investments, a number of politicians oppose our presence and have made it known that they will not work with us to build the relationship necessary for the project. we and others flew to Long Island City. “
Political opposition
The company is targeting the left wing of the Democratic Party, including the young MP from Queens, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Since the announcement of the Amazon project, several political movements, including young democratic socialists, have been organizing demonstrations in the city to mark their opposition to the arrival of Amazon.
They feared in particular the consequences for Long Island City, this district of Queens still little affected by gentrification, citing as an example the cost of living, which jumped in Seattle, the city where Amazon was born. Some residents complained of being threatened with eviction and had seen their rents skyrocket in the months, before and after Amazon’s announcement. Opponents of the project also criticized the working conditions at the e-commerce giant, the absence of unions and doubted the company’s willingness to hire people from the neighborhood.
Finally, they expressed their anger at the “tax gift” the company had received from the authorities, which were also democratic: up to $ 3 billion in tax credits and subsidies from the government. city and state.
No other location planned
At the end of a one-year competition between 238 American cities, Amazon had chosen New York for the employment pool that the city can offer, especially in high-tech, but also for these tax incentives. The company finally put forward the “diversity” of Queens and its creativity. It was to create 25,000 jobs there over the next ten years.
Jeff Bezos’ company has indicated that it will not transfer its choice to another city. However, his plans are confirmed in the Washington area, chosen to host the other half of this second headquarters, and in Nashville (Tennessee), where a major logistics center is to be built. Amazon will nevertheless continue to hire in New York, where it already has 5,000 employees.
VIDEO. Amazon abandons its New York headquarters
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