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Police Week 2022 In Wisconsin and across the Unites States, Law Enforcement Officers are working hard to keep our communities safe, risking their lives in the process. Reports from the Officer Down Memorial Page show in 2021 Five Law Enforcement Officers lost their lives in the line of duty in Wisconsin and 615 Officers lost their lives in the United States in 2021. President Kennedy named May 15th as Law Enforcement Memorial Day and the calendar week which May 15th falls as Police Week. In honor of those Law Enforcement Officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Our Law Enforcement Officers are on the street day and night to serve and protect the communities we live in, often running towards danger. In appreciation of our Law Enforcement, the Executive Board of Teamster’s Local 662 purchased a tourniquet to give to each one of our Law Enforcement members. A lifesaving tool we pray they never use but protection they can carry with them every day just like the protections that come along with being a Teamster.
Aaron Bembnister
Business Agent, Teamster’s Local 662
Black River Falls Police Officer and Teamster Steward Shaffer and his K9 partner along with Local 662 Business Agent Aaron Bembnister
Village of Spencer Police Department Police Officer and Teamster Steward Schmidt and her K9 partner along with Local 662 Business Agent Aaron Bembnister
Forward to a friend or read online: https://www.goodjobsfirst.org/news/releases/after-decade-and-more-4-billion-watchdog-group-says-time-quit-subsidizing-amazon
Contact: Greg LeRoy at goodjobs@goodjobsfirst.org or 202-494-0888
#EndAmazonSubsidies
After A Decade — and more than $4 Billion — Watchdog Group says: “Time to Quit Subsidizing Amazon”
Washington, DC — On the 10th anniversary of Amazon.com, Inc.’s voracious effort to get public subsidies to advantage its growth, Good Jobs First today called on state and local leaders to immediately quit giving tax breaks to the retail giant.
Amazon opened its “economic development” (read: tax break) office within its public policy department in March 2012, and the company has averaged about 20 incentive awards per year ever since. All told, governments in the U.S. have given Amazon more than $4.1 billion.
“Ten years is enough,” said Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First. “Politicians who continue to subsidize Amazon company are wasting public money, fueling monopolism, and undermining local economies.”
“As we began saying in 2017, governments should not pay Amazon to arrive. Instead, Amazon should pay the public in community benefits to help cushion the blow,” said LeRoy.
For the next 10 weekdays, Good Jobs First will spotlight 10 especially outrageous Amazon subsidy deals. They will be tweeted @GoodJobsFirst and Facebooked @GoodJobsFirst and hashtagged with #EndAmazonSubsidies.
“Last year alone, Amazon was given almost $700 million by states and localities in the U.S.,” said LeRoy, “and those are only the deals we can price-tag. Amazon has become increasingly secretive in recent years about the costs of these deals. Is it ashamed of them? Otherwise, why try to hide them?”
- Check out all the deals we've been able to find at Amazon Tracker
“We know from Brad Stone’s deeply sourced book, Amazon Unbound, that the ‘economic development team’ was given a goal by top management in 2017 of extracting $1 billion in incentives per year,” said LeRoy. “What a cynical business goal.”
“We have also recently revealed that Amazon has gotten public subsidies in many other nations in Latin America, Europe and Asia. But most of those countries fail to reveal the costs of such tax break deals,” LeRoy said (see Amazon’s Hidden Worldwide Subsidies).
Good Jobs First revealed the March 2012 birth of Amazon’s tax break office in its 2016 study “Will Amazon Fool Us Twice?” The study detailed how, starting in 2010, Amazon’s Prime business model with two-day, one-day, same-day delivery goals forced the company to start locating warehouses close to every major metro area.
Those new warehouses created “nexus,” or the ability of states to require sales tax collection. Amazon had previously shipped across state lines to largely avoid nexus, giving it a major price advantage over brick-and-mortar stores. Now, instead, Amazon turned its attention to subsidies.
Amazon hired a veteran tax break consultant and set about seeking subsidies seemingly everywhere it went — not just warehouses, but data centers, HQ2 and other facilities. Amazon subsidiaries such as Whole Foods, Audible and Zappos have been subsidized, as have Amazon Studios film and television productions and Amazon’s fashion studio in New York City.
Editor’s Note: Good Jobs First is a non-profit, non-partisan research group promoting corporate and government accountability. Founded in 1998, it is based in Washington DC. It has previously published on subsidies to other retailers (in alphabetical order) Bass Pro, Cabela’s, Nordstrom, Sears/Kmart, Target, and Walmart, as well as mall REITs General Growth Properties and Westfield.
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Teamsters Union Local 662 is a proud sponsor of Homes For Our Troops golf benefit!
We had the pleasure of meeting Iraqi war veteran Mike Gower, Homes For Our Troops prior recipient. This is a very worthy cause, building specialty homes for vets returning home with injuries.Congratulations Scholarship Winner Sophie Albrecht!
Secretary Treasurer Tim Wentz congratulates Sophie Albrecht, the $10,000.00 recipient of one of the James R Hoffa scholarships for next fall. Sophie is the daughter of member Amy Albrecht, who is the Treasurer/Clerk for the village of Milltown. Sophie will be attending the university of Wisconsin La-Crosse. I had the opportunity to visit with both of them recently. Amy is a very proud mother who states that Sophie was so excited when she found out she won that she could barely talk but was very honored to receive the scholarship. Sophie states she is not sure of what her major will be at this point, but will be pursuing something business related. Sophie was very active in high school and is looking forward to starting her new adventure in college. Sophie is a very bright and outgoing young lady with a great personality who we are sure will succeed in anything she pursues, and Local 662 would like to wish her continued success in what ever career she chooses.HOFFA: Biden's Roll Back of Independent Contractor Rule is a Win for Workers