Teamsters Applaud AG James Lawsuit Seeking to Save Park from Amazon Developer
Teamsters Joint Council 16 cheered a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James this week seeking to stop an e-commerce warehouse project that would destroy Cleveland Park in Freeport, NY.
“Attorney General James is standing up for the working families of Long Island, who need good jobs and safe streets to raise their kids, not another low-road e-commerce warehouse,” said Thomas Gesualdi, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16. “Cleveland Park has been used by generations of little leaguers and is the only nearby greenspace for this community of color. Towns and villages across Long Island are demanding economic development that actually helps our communities, and the Teamsters stand with them.”
In July, the Village of Freeport voted to rezone Cleveland Park for industrial use, and sell it to Panattoni Group, a frequent developer of Amazon warehouses. The Teamsters and Freeport community members opposed a bill passed by the State Legislature to allow the sale, and have urged Governor Hochul to veto it.
In recent months, Amazon-style warehouse proposals have been rejected by Long Island communities, including in Islip and Westbury. The Nassau County IDA revoked subsidies for a new Amazon facility in Syosset because the company was filling job openings with staff from a soon-to-close facility rather than new workers. A developer of an Amazon warehouse in Melville gave up subsidies it had requested because Amazon was unable to meet job creation commitments.