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Rutgers University. To be sure, picket lines are still a tool. The SEIU 200 union picketed Capital Roots earlier this month, saying they might picket the September gala.

But this wasn’t an ongoing picket line, such as the one that workers in, say, Waterford’s Momentive Performance Materials chemical plant maintained during a strike in 2016 and 2017.

That picket line ran for weeks.

And the Momentive strike was largely about pay and benefit cuts imposed by the Blackstone and Apollo investment groups that purchased Momentive from General Electric several years prior.

At Capital Roots, workers said they want to make more than the $15-an-hour-or-less that many earn. But they also said they want more say in how things are run, including their workloads. And rather than skilled blue collar workers at Mo- Free Flow mentive, Capital Roots is largely staffed by individuals who believe in the organization’s mission of improving nutrition for underprivileged people. Both sides last week were trading blame for the demise GUTTERS of the Autumn Evening fundraiser.

“We urged those supporters to make their own decisions about their participation and attendance,” SEIU organizer Sean Collins said. “That many of those supporters, volunteers, vendors and donors decided to pull out of the fundraiser is the result of Amy’s actions, not ours,” he added, referring to Amy Klein.

While Capital Roots said some chefs had been discouraged from participating in the event, six of the 13 featured event chefs reached by the Times Union said they had not been contacted by anyone. On the other hand, one unnamed volunteer cited a letter the person received urging a boycott of Autumn •Seamless Evening. The Aug. 5 letter, in which business names were re- Gutters Installed dacted, read, “Congratulations on being a featured business at the Autumn Evening event at the Hilton Garden Inn on September 15th, 2022!.” It went on, though to criticize what the writer said was •Gutter Klein’s treatment of employees since they had unionized and read, “I ask that you withdraw your support of their Cleaning organization and of this event to demonstrate your support of workers in every industry from farm to table and throughout our community.” At Amazon, the fight may be less personal but it’s just •Covers as intense. Workers there also want better pay that starts at $15.70 per hour. But a major complaint also centers on •Screens what workers contend is the rapid pace of work they say is leading to injuries. The Amazon push is part of a trend in which workers at the facilities nationwide have intermittently sought to •Repairs organize. Employees at more than 100 Amazon facilities have at least reached out to the nascent Amazon Labor Union, Free Estimates according to several news accounts. So far, though, just one, on Staten Island, has voted to 15 Years Experience unionize. Amazon is contesting that vote. More than 8,000 workers are employed at the Staten Fully Insured Island facility while the Schodack center has about 900.

Heather Goodall, who is organizing the effort at Schodack, contends that workers in recent months have been fired for signing union cards, which could ultimately lead 518-764-8493 to a vote on whether the facility should be unionized.

Since June, union organizers have filed a half dozen complaints with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company has retaliated against employees who support the union. Those complaints are currently under review.

“Our employees are being fired left and right,” Goodall said. 2023 BUDGET VOTE The company has let 10 employees go in the last & LIBRARY ELECTION two weeks alone, she said.

With that in mind, the Sept. 13th | 9AM-9PM in Library Alb1 Schodack Union Employee Retaliation 10 Community Way, East Greenbush NY Fund on GoFundMe was created to assist those who the union says have Details available at Circulation Desk and been unfairly let go for https://eglibrary.org/about/board their unionizing activities. Alb 1 is the name of the Schodack facility. Since it was created last week, the fund has raised $2,470 as of Thursday with a goal of $10,000.

Amazon officials refute Goodall’s charges about the firings.

“We do not retaliate against employees for exercising their federally protected rights. We work hard to accommodate our team’s needs, but like any employer, we ask our em-

TREND ployees to meet certain minimum expectations and take appropriate and consistent action when they’re unable to CONTINUED FROM 1 do that,” Amazon spokesman Paul Flaningan said in an email. “They accused me of stealing from the kiosk,” said Orlando Santiago, who was recently let go from the Schodack center after he signed a card supporting a union vote. His supervisors said he had taken small bags of chips and other food items from a snack kiosk for employees without paying for them, a charge he denies. “I asked them for proof,” he said. Santiago said he earned $15.95-an-hour as a “picker” or worker who moves items from the series of 30-foothigh shelves to spots where they are packaged, addressed and sent out to loading docks for shipping. Best described as a large warehouse, Alb 1 is a “fulfillment center” where relative bulky items like flat screen TVs, air fryers or vacuums are sorted and packaged for shipping. Santiago said he’d like his job back but also was looking at working for the ShopRite supermarket chain. Goodall said Amazon supervisors have used a number of pretexts to fire union activists, including charges that they have used up their allotments of time off when they were actually taking sick days or medical leave. Some have been rehired, she said. (The Times Union was unable to confirm with Amazon how many were brought back.) Worker complaints, she added, centered around what she said was the lack of proper equipment such as scanning devices or ill-fitting safety harnesses that workers wear when ascending the shelf areas on the special forklifts, which the driver controls to reach items. Others, she said, have been let go for failing to meet Amazon’s “fast start” policy of quickly getting to work at the beginning of a shift. But she that’s because the forklift devices often need to be fueled up, which takes time at the start of the day. Flaningan also disputed that, saying workers are provided with all the equipment they need. “We have enough equipment, and in the uncommon case there ever is an issue it’s addressed immediately and in the moment,” he said. “The health and safety of our employees is always our top priority, and overall, we have robust safety protocols and more than 8,000 safety professionals across our operations who work every day to support our teams.” Like other disputes, the Capital Region’s labor fights are also veering into the region’s political structure. SEIU employees have reached out to local city and legislative officials with their complaints about Capital Roots. That puts lawmakers, largely Democrats, in the position of having to finesse or perhaps mediate between a politically powerful union and well-known nonprofit that has long-standing progressive bona fides. Ultimately, once a union is recognized such as SEIU, the two sides will have to sit down, said Rebecca Kolins Givan, who also is an associate professor management and labor relations at Rutgers University. “It’s hard to reach a contract. But if there is sufficient commitment, it can be done.” Hudson-Mohawk Search & Rescue is Looking for Volunteers to Join our Team

CAPITAL DISTRICT - If you enjoy being outdoors in the wilderness, working with others to help people, follow directions well and have a willingness to learn, then our SAR team might be for you!

Prior knowledge is helpful, but definitely not required as we provide the training. Check out our website at: www.humsar.org for more information.

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Twin Bridges Edition | Thursday, December 16, 2021 ByLINE: PETE DEMOLA CLIFTON PARK - Work has started to replace the bridge spanning the Northway (I-87) that got whacked by an oversized truck earlier this spring. Preliminary work on the Sitterly Road Bridge in Clifton Park between exits 9 and 8A will stretch into early spring, including surveying, tree cutting and utility relocations. Once completed, the new 16-foot, 7.5-inch-tall bridge will be taller than its previous incarnation and will feature two 11-foot-wide travel lanes with

Sitterly Road connects Clifton Park with Halfmoon and is a popular route for motorists headed to area schools and retail centers. Due to the need to unexpectedly replace the entire structure, the state agency said it assembled a multidisciplined team of state engineers to "streamline and accelerate" the design process. The first stage of construction will begin this spring with excavation and concrete work in preparation for the removal of the existing structure. The bridge will be completely closed to traffic during the bulk of construction, which has been scheduled for late June to I-87 bridge replacement starts PHOTOS BY PAUL BUCKOWSKI / TIMES UNION 6-foot-wide shoulders on either side, according to the state Department of Transportation,

early September to accommodate local school bus routes, according The temporary bridge

www.advertisercrw.com | Thursday, December 16, 2021 Best Wishes to Councilwoman Mary Frances Sabo

By SHAYLA COLON Zoning plans for a second Amazon facility in Schodack with 400 jobs were approved by the town, and site work to clear the 56acre parcel on Route 150 is under way. The 278,000-square-foot warehouse and truck terminal the company hopes to build is in the midst of a final review by the town’s building department.Gary Ziegler, Schodack’s building inspector and code enforcement officer, said that the department is waiting on a response from engineers and on some questions that still need to be answered.The property was granted a site development permit, according to Nadine Fuda, the town’s planning and zoning director, who said a final approval from the building department could take anywhere from two to three weeks, depending on how the review goes. However, the site is already being cleared. The planning department noted that Amazon is aiming to finish construction by the fall of 2022 and then hire about 400 people there. The company’s existing fulfillment center employs about 1,000 at full staffing. Fuda said St. Louis-based general contractor ARCO was chosen to oversee the property’s development, but a local preparation firm was added to the mix. Amazon is leasing the property from Scannell Properties, a private real estate development company headquartered in Indiana. Land records show Scannell Properties bought the tract from the Snook Materials Group LLC for $2.79 million. Scannell Properties declined to comment about the construction. An Amazon spokesperson said the company could not comment on the prospective plans.This project marks Amazon’s second venture in the area. The multinational giant constructed a 1-million-square-foot distribution center on Route 9 in 2020. The soon-to-be developed land is situated nearby between routes 9 and 20, across from the Birchwood Estates neighborhood. The neighborhood’s homeowner association opposed the first construction but was unsuccessful in stalling it.Fuda said she hasn’t received any recent complaints from the association or neighbors. Robert Jansing, a member of the Birchwood Association, however, said he and others remain “concerned” about the coming distribution center.Noisy land clearing, long-term effects on the town’s drinking water and increased traffic and accidents are among the association’s concerns over the new facility. Jansing said lost tractor-trailers have made illegal U-turns in the neighborhood, run over lawns, caused property damage and woken up residents from their sleep while loudly going over parking lot speed bumps at night. “No one expected to be living sandwiched between two huge facilities when they bought their homes,” Jansing said. “Homeowners are the ones that deal with the everyday issues. Constructing another and dealing with construction noise for months is inconvenient, but safety and quality of life should not have to be compromised.”“The association will continue to monitor the situation to ensure conditions of approvals are met and will consult with representation if (the) need arises,” he added. Second Amazon facility planned Schodack warehouse proposal, with 400 jobs, is undergoing a fi nal review Some counties won’t enforce rule

Saratoga North Edition | Thursday, December 16, 2021

bills to pay their $165 check. "My husband just got diagnosed with cancer so it really helps out a lot. I appreciate it so much," she said. Tammy Loya organized the event, asking friends and work associates to bring $100 each for the surprise. "This is the first time we're doing this. We're so excited," she said. She wanted to spread the news in hopes that other people would do it too. "I'm hoping it catches on like wildfire and many people copy us," she said. "I saw it on Facebook last year, but with COVID, I couldn't get it organized last year." She hoped the tip would go to someone in need, but she didn't expect the waitress to have a huge medical bill that needed paying at Christmas. "We were in the right place at the right time," she said. Smith's husband was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer. The tip will let them stay up to date on their medical bills and have enough left over for a couple of presents for their two children, ages 5 and 9, Smith said. "It helps us so much right now," she said. After she pays the bills and gets "a little extra stuff" for their children, she said she plans to use whatever is left to help others. Loya was so buoyed by the success of the event that she plans to do it again this season. A friend who will be visiting is eager to do it with her. The goal is to find a total of 15 people per breakfast so that the server ends up with a hefty tip. "Everybody's gone through hard times, I've gone through hard times, and if someone had done that to me at the right time, it would have been such a big deal," she said.Kathleen.Moore@timesunion.com Waitress gets a $1,335 surprise Outgoing Spa City deputy mayor expected to get post

ByLINE:˜˜WENDY LIBERATORE

SARATOGA SPRINGS - An incoming city official is accusing Mayor Meg Kelly of trying to ensure her deputy, a political appointee, has a job come January. Deputy Mayor Lisa Shields is expected to be named systems manager for the city's IT department,

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