Amazon is looking to sign a deal to expand into Peabody’s Centennial Park.
“Amazon is trying to come to Peabody and is coordinating a possible deal,” said Peabody City Councilor Jon Turco.
Meanwhile, the Lynn City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday “urging fair and full employment opportunities at Amazon.
The council resolution called for Amazon to agree to meet community standards for wages, benefits and working conditions before a potential expansion into Lynn.
While there are no current plans for such an expansion in Lynn, the massive corporation has set its sights on Massachusetts this year, with recent expansions into Littleton, Canton, Taunton, Haverhill, Hingham, Mansfield, Norwood, Plymouth, Worcester and Salem.
The Boston City Council was the first in the state to pass a similar resolution. That city body unanimously approved a similar measure late last year. Since that time Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, Winthrop, Revere, Chelsea, Malden, and now Lynn have passed resolutions calling on Amazon to respect workers and public safety. The Peabody City Council is expected to pass a similar resolution at its next meeting.
“This resolution points to the fact that we want people that work in our city to have a fair wage,” said Lynn City Councilor Jay Walsh. “It’s reflected in our community when people get paid fair, and you see it in the community. When people are making money, they have time to put money back into the community.”
The resolution passed in Lynn Tuesday is part of a larger nationwide effort to limit the company’s power, Walsh said.
The Teamsters Local 25, which represents more than 12,000 employees in New England, praised the Lynn City Council for its resolution, which also requires the mega-corporation to confer with members of the union, residents and impacted community groups before expansion.
“Thank you to the Lynn City Council for standing up for delivery drivers,” said Teamsters Local 25 President Sean M. O’Brien. “Amazon is a greedy corporation with no regard for the safety of workers or the general public, and refuses to meet community standards for wages, health insurance, and retirement benefits. Teamsters Local 25 will never stop fighting expansion efforts by corporations who disrespect workers.”
The resolution calls on Amazon to present sufficient evidence that all delivery drivers will be direct employees of Amazon and not independent contractors, and that its operations meet or exceed current community standards established by existing delivery networks.
It makes clear that any plans by Amazon to expand delivery operations, warehouses and fulfillment centers must be done in a manner beneficial to the town and its residents, while also guaranteeing sustainable growth and helping to ensure that fair and equitable employment standards are maintained for all e-commerce delivery networks.
“Lynn was built by workers and we will always be proud of our working-class values,” said Walsh, who worked on Lynn’s resolution with his fellow councilor, Brian LaPierre. “This resolution will help preserve the high value and respect we have for workers in Lynn, and ensure any expansion by Amazon here includes full-time jobs with good wages, health insurance, pensions and a safe work environment.”
Amazon could not be reached for comment.
Item reporter Anne Marie Tobin contributed to this report.
