Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a progressive firebrand and vocal supporter of labor, said New Yorkers deserve “dignified jobs” in the aftermath of a scrapped deal to build a second Amazon headquarters in Queens.
“We need to create dignified jobs in New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez said at a ceremonial inauguration ceremony Saturday in the Bronx. “We don’t have to settle for scraps in the greatest city in the world.”
The comments come days after Amazon decided to abandon plans to build a second headquarters in the Long Island City neighborhood in Queens, which Ocasio-Cortez staunchly opposed.
The move was met with fierce backlash from local and national activists who said the move would not create jobs for people already living in the area and would make the community unaffordable for low-income residents. They also excoriated the city for offering a $3 billion tax incentive to the tech behemoth.
The New York Democrat celebrated when Amazon announced it would not go through with the move, praising local organizers’ efforts.
“Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world,” she tweeted.
………
“While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City,” Amazon said in a statement on Thursday.
- Discussion
-
Ocasio-Cortez in Bronx speech: New Yorkers deserve "dignified jobs" https://t.co/ZR7BZesjCF pic.twitter.com/rJgCGiUSxG
— The Hill (@thehill) February 16, 2019
What does she consider a “dignified job?” Vice President or higher?
No job is undignified if it’s honest work. The guy who picks up your garbage is as dignified as the corporate executive. Heck, the garbageman has more dignity than this chick. Or even the current president.
I’m sure there are plenty of unemployed people who would have loved to have those “undignified jobs” Amazon would have brought to New York.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.