Amazon’s Air Hub at Newark Airport is Cancelled
(Newark, NJ)—This afternoon, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that Amazon will withdraw its proposal to build an air cargo hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. Amazon was unwilling to meet minimum requirements the Newark and Elizabeth communities set forth on labor and environmental practices for the deal, and ultimately decided to walk away.
“As an Elizabeth resident, where we have been designated an 'overburdened community' by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, this is a huge victory for our communities of color, workers and environmental justice advocates. Black and Latinx Newark and Elizabeth residents that carry the burden left by traffic and pollution––high levels of asthma, cancer, elevated blood lead levels, cardiovascular diseases and developmental disorders––led this fight. While our communities fought for basic health and safety, Amazon was unwilling to comply with basic labor and environmental standards. This fight has shown us that when we come together and fight against corporate greed and environmental destruction, our communities win,” stated David Lenis, a member of Make the Road NJ and Elizabeth resident.
“This is an important victory for workers and former workers who have been injured working for one of the several Amazon’s warehouses here in the state, like myself. I had an extreme allergic reaction while working at Amazon, I had to wait hours for the company to call an ambulance,” said Nayeli, member of Make the Road NJ and former Amazon worker. “Amazon disregards worker’s health. My mother worked at Amazon as a seasonal worker without health insurance. She became so injured on the job from pulling heavy packages that she is suffering from chronic pain.”
The air cargo hub project, first reported in August 2021, would have given Amazon a twenty-year lease through the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to build two 250,000 sq. ft. air cargo facilities next to the airport, letting the company significantly expand its footprint in the tri-state region. The plan has been shrouded in secrecy from the beginning, with virtually no formal community input and an ongoing lack of transparency.
“We are setting a new standard: corporations coming into our communities must guarantee good jobs, clean air, and be accountable to working-class people,” stated George Boada, lifelong Elizabeth resident and member of Teamsters Local 863 and Joint Council 73. “We have shown that when workers and community members unite together, we are more powerful than the largest corporations in the world, even Amazon. No one should ever have to compromise their health and safety in the workplace or in our communities in the name or corporate profits. This is only the beginning.”
Newark and Elizabeth workers, environmental justice activists, small businesses, unions and worker centers, and community and faith leaders formed a coalition to demand transparency and accountability from Amazon and the Port Authority. Throughout the 10 months since the proposal was first reported on, community organizers have mobilized to:
