Unions stage Amazon protest

Teamsters want local labor at Sailfish site

By Connor Linskey
Posted 5/6/20

Between 60 and 70 people gathered by the entrance of the Amazon site off of Route 17K in Montgomery to urge the company to hire more local laborers on Friday.

Among those in attendance were …

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Unions stage Amazon protest

Teamsters want local labor at Sailfish site

Posted

Between 60 and 70 people gathered by the entrance of the Amazon site off of Route 17K in Montgomery to urge the company to hire more local laborers on Friday.

Among those in attendance were residents as well as members of the Valley Central Teachers’ Association, Democratic Socialists of America and Teamsters Local 445, a labor union serving citizens in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. Sen. Jen Metzger and Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson were also in attendance.

Protesters were seen in droves with signs reading “Petillo Inc.: Unfair to Members of Local 445.” Dozens of cars were parked on either side of the road, leaving very little open space in the breakdown lane.

The most noticeable part of their protest was a large inflatable rat, with a sign reading Petillo, Inc. on it.

“It’s a symbol to shame the owner of the company,” President and Business Agent of Teamsters 445 Dan Maldonado said.

Maldonado organized the protest. The goal of the protest is to be able to communicate with the contractor about hiring more local workers. Many out-of-state trucks have been seen at the site.

Maldonado added that the contractor refused to speak to him about hiring more local truckers. Members of Teamsters 445 plan to continue protesting until they get a deal. They continue to gather each day to show Petillo Inc. how they feel.

Metzger supports the teamsters in their efforts.

“I think they [Petillo, Inc.] need to come to the table about providing good-paying Union jobs,” she said. “They haven’t even had the conversation.”

Though many construction sites were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Amazon site continues to be built because it is deemed essential. The distribution center is viewed as critical for supply chains.

Construction for the 1,010,880-square-foot warehouse started in February after a $20.5 million tax break was granted. According to the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, Amazon is required to hire at least 85 percent local laborers. The project costs $72.5 million and is expected to employ more than 800 people within two years and create more than 300 construction jobs.

Teamsters will continue to picket for the foreseeable future. The New York State on Pause Executive Order allows for peaceful protests as long as face masks are worn by all participants and they remain six feet apart. Currently there is no end in sight for their protests.

“The end game is to put some of our local teamsters to work,” Maldonado said. “Our union pays $34,000 a year in taxes and we feel that we should get some work out of it.”

As of Monday evening, no member of Teamsters Local 445 had been hired by Petillo, Inc. to work on the Amazon site.

Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher noted that the site is currently abiding by the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, which does not mandate members of Teamsters Local 445 be hired.

The supervisor added that auditors have been hired to make sure that Petillo, Inc. obeys the local labor law.