• Politics
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment
  • Animals
    • Dogs
  • Food
  • Health
  • Tech
List Stories
  • Politics
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment
  • Animals
    • Dogs
  • Food
  • Health
  • Tech
  • RSS

Tech

Amazon's First Hearing With The New York City Council Didn't Go So Well

Amazon's First Hearing With The New York City Council Didn't Go So Well
Imran Khan
Imran Khan
December 13, 2018


AP/Karen Matthews

NEW YORK — Amazon representatives faced a bitter welcoming committee on Wednesday at its first New York City Council hearing to discuss the company’s plan to open one of its two new headquarters, dubbed HQ2, in Long Island City, New York.

When details of the deal were announced in November, the $3 billion in performance-based financial incentives that New York state and New York City offered the company led to an immediate protest. At Wednesday’s meeting, the protests continued, with about 150 demonstrators from union organizations and local worker advocacy groups gathering at City Hall and filling its chambers.

During the hearing, council members decried the company’s “offensive” lack of transparency and accused the tech and retail giant of “ripping off” New Yorkers.

“You’re worth a trillion dollars,” New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson told the company, prompting applause and cheers from protesters in the hall. “Why do you need our $3 billion when we have crumbling subways, crumbling public housing, people without health care, public schools that are overcrowded?”

The president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, James Patchett, defended the deal at the hearing, along with Amazon’s vice president of public policy, Brian Huseman, and Amazon’s HQ2 search executive, Holly Sullivan. Both Patchett and Huseman referenced an estimated $27.5 billion in tax revenue for the state and city over the next 25 years as a result of the project.

In return for the subsidies and grants New York offered, Amazon promised to create at least 25,000 new full-time jobs in the city, along with a new school with space for 600 students. (Amazon also selected Arlington, Virginia, for a second headquarters; Virginia offered $573 million in incentives for the creation of 25,000 jobs.)

“We want to be a good neighbor to the residents of Long Island City and the rest of New York,” said Huseman. “We believe both our employees and community will benefit from being stitched into the fabric of the neighborhood where amenities are open to everyone.”

Amazon, Huseman said, already employs 5,000 people in New York. Its fulfillment center in Staten Island pays workers between $17 and $23 an hour. Patchett also referenced a Quinnipiac University poll published last week that shows 57% of New Yorkers approve of the deal, compared to 26% who disapprove.

The poll numbers did little to assuage Johnson’s ire over the deal’s opaque process and hefty financial incentives. Along with other city council members, he questioned the role that the financial incentives played in luring the company to call Long Island City its new headquarters’ home.

Amazon brokered the deal with New York state and New York City behind closed doors and with the additional secrecy of nondisclosure agreements, which are common contracts cities sign with companies that claim to have proprietary information.

“So whose interest did you feel like you were representing in negotiating this deal?” asked Johnson.

“One hundred percent the people of New York City,” said Patchett, as protesters laughed in the audience. “I fundamentally believe this is a good deal for New York City, or I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

04:29 PM – 12 Dec 2018

@letidmiranda / Via Twitter: @leticia

Several council members slammed New York City’s Economic Development Corporation for selecting to categorize the project as a “general project plan,” which allows the project to bypass public land use review processes. “I think it’s fundamentally unethical with what you have done,” said city council member Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents the district that includes Long Island City. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Patchett told the council that his agency wanted to expedite the deal rather than weigh it down with additional reviews that would be required by the city’s land use review process.

04:32 PM – 12 Dec 2018

@MakeTheRoadNY / Via Twitter: @MaketheRoadNY

At other points during the hearing, protesters interjected with chants.

“When Amazon workers are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” they yelled from the council chambers balcony. “G-T-F-O, Amazon has got to go!”

At another point, a protester stood up during the hearing to say the company’s promise of 25,000 jobs for the city was “smoke and mirrors.”

At the end of the two and a half hour hearing, Johnson asked Huseman if Amazon would schedule a public hearing during which the community could attend and voice their concerns about the project. Under pressure, Huseman eventually agreed to attend a future hearing. Johnson said the city council will schedule an additional public hearing in January or February around Huseman’s schedule.

Ultimately, the city council is limited in what it can do to stop or renegotiate the deal — though some state legislators, including state Sen. Michael Gianaris, have floated the idea of using legislation to block HQ2.





Source link

Download Premium WordPress Themes Free
Download WordPress Themes
Download Nulled WordPress Themes
Premium WordPress Themes Download
udemy paid course free download
Related ItemsFeatured
Click to add a comment

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech
December 13, 2018
Imran Khan
Imran Khan

Related ItemsFeatured

More in Tech

  • Twitter Just Removed A Tweet From An Account Linked To Iran’s Supreme Leader, Raising Enforcement Questions
    Read More
    Twitter Just Removed A Tweet From An Account Linked To Iran’s Supreme Leader, Raising Enforcement Questions

    Twitter / Via Twitter: @khamenei_ir Twitter removed a tweet from an account that reportedly belongs to Iranian...

    Imran Khan February 16, 2019
  • Primaries Are Where Politics Happens Today, And That's Why The Amazon Deal Died
    Read More
    Primaries Are Where Politics Happens Today, And That's Why The Amazon Deal Died

    Scott Heins / Getty Images Julia Salazar supporters cheer at the sight of election results moments before...

    Imran Khan February 16, 2019
  • Bumble’s CEO Told BuzzFeed News Her Apps Have Become Their “Own Form Of Government”
    Read More
    Bumble’s CEO Told BuzzFeed News Her Apps Have Become Their “Own Form Of Government”

    BuzzFeed News Fresh off her company’s Super Bowl ad starring Serena Williams, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe told...

    Imran Khan February 16, 2019
  • Here's How One Of Facebook's Biggest Anti-Vax Communities Built Its Massive Network
    Read More
    Here's How One Of Facebook's Biggest Anti-Vax Communities Built Its Massive Network

    Facebook As it comes under increasing pressure from lawmakers and public health advocates that it take action...

    Imran Khan February 16, 2019
  • The White House Announced A National Emergency Using The Notes App
    Read More
    The White House Announced A National Emergency Using The Notes App

    03:00 AM – 02 Jan 2018 @LoganPaul / Twitter 10:12 PM – 08 Jul 2015 @ArianaGrande /...

    Imran Khan February 15, 2019
  • Instacart Workers’ Revolt Over Tips Reveals A Big Problem For The Gig Economy
    Read More
    Instacart Workers’ Revolt Over Tips Reveals A Big Problem For The Gig Economy

    Jeff Chiu / AP In the face of widespread public outcry, Instacart last week scrapped a controversial...

    Imran Khan February 15, 2019
  • Amazon Filed A Patent Application For Tech That Could Link You To Your Identity And Job
    Read More
    Amazon Filed A Patent Application For Tech That Could Link You To Your Identity And Job

    David Mcnew / AFP / Getty Images Amazon has filed a patent application with the US Patent...

    Imran Khan February 15, 2019
  • We Asked New Yorkers For Their Messages To Jeff Bezos After Amazon Scrapped Its HQ Plans
    Read More
    We Asked New Yorkers For Their Messages To Jeff Bezos After Amazon Scrapped Its HQ Plans

    Julia Reinstein / BuzzFeed News LONG ISLAND CITY, New York — It’s Valentine’s Day in New York,...

    Imran Khan February 15, 2019
  • Coffee Meets Bagel Dating App Announces Data Breach On Valentine's Day
    Read More
    Coffee Meets Bagel Dating App Announces Data Breach On Valentine's Day

    Flickr: edsel_ Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel emailed users today – Valentine’s Day – to alert them...

    Imran Khan February 15, 2019
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • A Fan Called "Shallow" Oscar-Worthy And Lady Gaga Had The Best Response
    A Fan Called "Shallow" Oscar-Worthy And Lady Gaga Had The Best Response
    CelebrityJanuary 24, 2019
  • Take This Target Quiz To Figure Out How Old You Actually Are
    Take This Target Quiz To Figure Out How Old You Actually Are
    EntertainmentJanuary 23, 2019
  • Kids YouTube Star Blippi “Regrets” The Viral Video In Which He Poops All Over His Friend
    Kids YouTube Star Blippi “Regrets” The Viral Video In Which He Poops All Over His Friend
    TechFebruary 14, 2019
  • 19 Tweets About Food That Will Give You A Laugh-Induced Stomachache
    19 Tweets About Food That Will Give You A Laugh-Induced Stomachache
    FoodJanuary 22, 2019
  • 25 Songs That'll Give You That "Everything Will Be Okay" Feeling
    25 Songs That'll Give You That "Everything Will Be Okay" Feeling
    HealthFebruary 19, 2019
  • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Back At The Supreme Court
    Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Back At The Supreme Court
    PoliticsFebruary 19, 2019
  • Only A True Movie Buff Can Get 7/8 On This Wardrobe Quiz
    Only A True Movie Buff Can Get 7/8 On This Wardrobe Quiz
    EntertainmentFebruary 19, 2019
  • This Belly Button Phenomenon For Pregnant Women Is Really Tripping Me Out
    This Belly Button Phenomenon For Pregnant Women Is Really Tripping Me Out
    HealthFebruary 19, 2019
List Stories

We Provide Latest News , Viral Contents , Memes , Health articles , Sports articles and many more. Keep visiting our website for daily information.

Links

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook

Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved.