Amazon’s Union Busting Is Subsidized by the Government
Amazon has received over $300 million in subsidies from New York State — deals that stipulate the company must follow labor laws. But their blatant union busting means they could be forced to give that public money back.

As Amazon faces investigations over allegations that it violated labor laws, the company continues to benefit from lucrative subsidies and tax breaks. (Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the wake of a historic labor victory at one of its Staten Island warehouses earlier this month, Amazon is reportedly ramping up its union-busting operations across New York and beyond. Those attempts to crush a union are effectively subsidized by government money in states whose politicians portray themselves as pro-labor.
As Amazon now faces investigations over allegations that it violated labor laws, the company continues to benefit from lucrative subsidies and tax breaks, even though most of these funds are conditioned on complying with regulations, including labor law. In all, the company has received more than $4.1 billion in subsidies from state and local governments nationwide, according to data collected by subsidy-tracking organization Good Jobs First.
In New York, the relationship between public money and Amazon’s union busting is front and center. The company was just found to have illegally fired a worker for speaking out at that Staten Island warehouse two years ago. At the same time, the state and local governments have directed roughly $387 million to the company in direct public subsidies and guarantees — some of which have gone toward construction of the very facilities where workers are now fighting to unionize, according to data collected by Good Jobs First.