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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 6 OctOber 2022
Amazon suspends at least 50 workers after fire protest

NEW YORK (AP) — Ama- Some were worried the air in
zon has suspended at least the facility would be unsafe
50 warehouse employees to breathe because of smoke
who refused to work their from the fire. Eventually,
shifts following a trash roughly 100 workers held a
compactor fire at one of sit-down protest at the facil-
its New York facilities, ac- ity’s main office, demanding
cording to union organiz- to be sent home with pay.
ers.
“They were saying ‘we don’t
The company suspended feel safe, we don’t feel safe to
the workers, with pay, on work,’” Palmer said.
Tuesday, a day after the fire
disrupted operations at the Amazon spokesperson Paul
Staten Island warehouse that Flaningan said in a prepared
voted to unionize earlier this statement that the compa-
year. ny had asked all night shift
employees to report to their
Derrick Palmer, the vice pres- shifts on Monday after the
ident of the Amazon Labor New York Fire Department
Union, said day-shift work- certified the building as safe.
ers were sent home with pay
due to the fire, which began “While the vast majority of
late afternoon Monday. But employees reported to their
night-shift employees, who workstations, a small group
were just coming in for their refused to return to work The suspended workers were ber of suspended workers dozen objections with the
shift were told to remain in a and remained in the building notified by email and phone could rise. Seth Goldstein, an agency seeking to toss out
break area until management without permission,” Flanin- that their security badges attorney for the union, said the union’s April win. Mean-
figured out the situation, he gan said. Some workers had would be inactive during the the workers intend to file while, warehouse workers at
said. also walked out, while others duration of the probe, Palmer unfair labor practice charges a separate facility near Alba-
continued with the protest, said. The suspensions are in against Amazon with the Na- ny, New York will be voting
Dozens of workers began to according to organizers. effect indefinitely as the com- tional Labor Relations Board. in their own union election
raise concerns about safety. pany investigates. The num- Amazon has filed over two next week.

Biden to storm-ravaged Florida: ‘We’re not going to leave’

FORT MYERS, Florida though the Florida senator
(AP) — President Joe has said he wants to preserve The White House message
Biden surveyed the dev- the programs. of bipartisan unity marks a
astation of hurricane-rav- difference from Biden’s pre-
aged Florida on Wednes- Biden and DeSantis have had decessor, Donald Trump,
day, promising to marshal a multitude of differences in who at times threatened to
the power of the federal recent years over how to fight withhold aid to Democratic
government to help re- COVID-19, immigration officials who criticized him,
build as he comforted lo- policy and more. In recent including Democratic Govs.
cal residents alongside weeks, they tussled over the Gavin Newsom of California
Republican Gov. Ron De- governor’s decision to put and Andrew Cuomo of New
Santis, a potential 2024 migrants on planes or buses York.
foe. to Democratic strongholds, a
practice that Biden has called Politicians’ responses to nat-
Both men declared they were “reckless.” ural disasters have the power
putting politics aside for now. to make or break political ca-
The hurricane changed the reers.
The scope of the devastation purpose and tone of Biden’s
was immense. Biden’s mo- 150 mph winds and punish- Rubio and other state and first trip to Florida this year, As Florida’s governor for
torcade drove by wind-shorn ing storm surge last week local officials, were accom- which was in an area devas- eight years, Jeb Bush main-
trees, some uprooted, others took out power for 2.6 mil- panying the president on tated by winds and surging tained a steady response to a
with branches pulled back- lion in Florida. Many people Wednesday. water . Boats, including huge parade of hurricanes and was
wards by the storm. Fields off still are unable to get food yachts, were capsized and rewarded with sky-high ap-
the highway were still flood- and water. Before the trip, White House hurled inland. proval ratings. The response
ed, forming stagnant lagoons. press secretary Karine Jean- by President George W. Bush
At a briefing with local offi- Pierre suggested it would be FEMA Administrator and Louisiana lawmakers to
Signs for stores and restau- cials, Biden emphasized that inappropriate for them to fo- Deanne Criswell told report- Hurricane Katrina in 2005
rants were blown out; ru- the rebuilding effort will take cus on political differences. ers on Air Force One that hangs over their legacies.
ined mattresses were piled months or years. the cost of rebuilding will
in neighborhood streets, a Before the storm hit, the be huge: “It will certainly be Former New Jersey Gov.
building was tipped to the With the midterm elections president had intended to in the billions and perhaps Chris Christie, the Republi-
side like a chess piece. An ar- just a month away, the crisis visit the Florida cities of one of the more costly disas- can who welcomed President
mada of workers and repair was bringing together politi- Orlando and Fort Lauder- ters that we’ve seen in many Barack Obama to his state
trucks struggled with recov- cal rivals in common cause at dale last week, where he years.” to survey Hurricane Sandy
ery. least for a time. planned to stress his efforts damage just days before the
to strengthen Social Security DeSantis made a point 2012 general election, said
Hurricane Ian has resulted in DeSantis, as well as Sen. and Medicaid. Biden has ac- Wednesday of praising FEMA that during natural disasters
at least 84 people confirmed Rick Scott, have been among cused Scott of wanting to end along with local and state “the best political strategy is
dead, including 75 in Florida, Biden’s most prominent Re- both programs by propos- agencies, saying coordination to have no political strategy,
and many people still wait for publican critics. Both, along ing that federal laws should among them has been excep- to do your job.”
power to be restored. Ian’s with Republican Sen. Marco expire every five years, al- tional during Ian’s aftermath.