The Story from Queens
There's a lot of PR spin being thrown around, but family I have in Queens tells another story. The unions really, really, really wanted Amazon to be a union shop despite the fact that the Amazon jobs were going to pay $100K+. Unions in Queens and all over the USA are losing $$$ and power and this was seen as the Queens union's last ditch stand to regain power. It was an all-or-nothing gamble and the unions lost.
NYC unions really thought they could put their foot on Amazon's throat and force them to be a union shop. Local politicians were recruited to force the union issue. RUMOR - and its just a rumor - is that union construction workers would refuse to build Amazon's HQ unless Amazon surrendered to the unions. Amazon was also expected to $how their $urrender to the union$ by $howering union organizer$ with the proper re$pect every year.
This was rumored to bring a total of 25,000 jobs to the area. I don't know if that includes the increased business to restaurants, delis, hotels, car dealerships - you name it.
Yeah, it cost the state $3billion but how else is NYC going to bring in so many jobs in such a short period of time? Long Island has been financially struggling since Grumman left. What used to be family suburbs has turned into ghettos. MS-13 gangs are at LIRR stations selling drugs, shaking down commuters, and trying to recruit new members. It's a mess.
Now politicians are frantically trying to spin this. An unemployed family doesn't give a rat's ass how much money the state has to pay, as long as they can put food on their own tables. Now politicians have to answer to angry voters who believe employment is #1 and don't care what the state did to get them.
Now NYC politicians have to explain to the voters how turning down 25,000 jobs is a GOOD thing? You can't sell that - not even with free 2-day shipping.