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02/18/2019 | Holding Wall Street Accountable

Amazon Pulls Out Of Planned NYC Headquarters

The people united is a powerful force to reckon with. On February 14, Amazon cancelled plans to build its second headquarters in Queens. This decision came after months of organizing by community leaders, activists, and people’s organizations who asked Amazon to allow its workers to unionize, to invest in the local community and infrastructure, to stop cooperating with ICE, and to refrain from taking a $3 billion subsidy in tax revenues.

Instead of investing in their workers and listening to the voices of our communities, Amazon chose to leave. That betrayed their real intentions for our city. This is a landmark victory for our communities, showing the power of the people, even when taking on one of the world’s largest corporations.

CPD affiliates Make the Road New York and New York Communities for Change were instrumental in the fight. Their members and allies stood firm against Governor Cuomo’s  taxpayer giveaways. Many allies played a key role in this historic victory including Align, RWDSU, Teamsters, Workers United, Partnership for Working Families, CAAAV, DSA, MPower Change, JFREJ, Chaya, and others. This win would not have been possible without our collaborative efforts

We can stop corporate control of our communities. Members of CPD's Local Progress network of progressive elected officials have already issued statementsfrom each of the cities that Amazon considered for headquarters demanding no corporate subsidies, and an interest in workers and the well-being and input of local community. We will continue to hold corporations like Amazon accountable – and we have proven that we can do so successfully.

 Please make a donation today to support the CPD Network in our fight to keep our democracy alive. The future of our communities, and this country, depends on bold action from each of us.

 Thank you for your continued support in this fight.