‘Poof, they go across the bridge’: Curley warns Seattle after Amazon threatens to move delivery operations out of New York City

Amazon has warned that a proposed New York City delivery law could disrupt its operations and put thousands of jobs at risk. The Delivery Protection Act, backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, would require major delivery companies to directly employ workers who currently work for subcontractors and establish oversight of last-mile facilities.

Discussing the proposal during “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, host John Curley criticized policies that could drive employers away and argued Seattle needs a broader economic base.

“You can’t have your entire economy vertically built where, when the one business leaves, the whole thing just goes into the tank,” Curley said. “You want to be able to horizontally have a whole bunch of businesses, and you spread out.”

Amazon has warned it could move delivery operations out of New York City if the bill passes, putting about 5,000 delivery jobs at risk, according to the New York Post. The warning concerns a possible response to the legislation, not an announced departure.

Curley questions what an Amazon move would cost Seattle

Curley raised a hypothetical move of Amazon employees from Seattle to Bellevue while criticizing Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s approach to businesses.

“If Katie were ever to come out, like she came out on the first day that she was elected, and go in there and protest with Starbucks, if she said anything about Amazon, I looked it up to see what it would cost the city of Seattle if Amazon pulled all their people out and sent them over to Bellevue,” Curley said. “It would cost the city of Seattle $200 million. All you have to do is crap a little on Amazon. Poof, they go across the bridge, and you lose $200 million.”

Curley argued that a broader mix of employers would spread the risk of job losses or relocations across more businesses rather than concentrating it in one company.

“It’s just like what advisers will tell you all the time, right? You want to have multiple buckets, not just have everything in one,” Curley said. “Don’t have all your bets there. Not just everybody in one bucket. Spread it all out. Have it diverse, so that you have a diverse workplace, so that you also have a diverse economy that has various revenue sources coming to the government.”

He also called for greater care in government spending.

“It’d be nice if the government was responsible for the money that they take from you, and they didn’t waste it,” Curley said.

New York proposal targets delivery employment

About 5,000 Amazon delivery workers in New York City are employed by third-party contractors, according to the New York Post. Supporters of the legislation said direct employment requirements would improve working conditions and make large companies accountable for delivery operations.

Curley questioned whether those requirements would protect jobs if Amazon responded by relocating operations.

“Amazon’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re not going to do that,’” Curley said. “’So if you make us do that, we’ll just move out.’”

The proposed law would not affect every Amazon facility in New York. The New York Post reported that the company’s large Staten Island fulfillment center would not fall under the measure.

Automation raises a different question about employment

Producer Joe Wallace asked how Seattle would replace revenue if technology reduced Amazon’s workforce, even without a relocation.

“At some point, how do we make that up once basically Amazon’s entire workforce is either AI bots in terms of their office workers and autonomous delivery drivers?” Wallace said.

Curley questioned whether AI would replace workers or help them do their jobs.

“Is it replacing a job or making your job more efficient?” Curley said.

“For me, it’s making it more efficient,” Wallace responded.

Wallace said his recent experience using an AI tool had increased his concern about job losses.

“This thing is coming way faster than people thought,” Wallace said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The John Curley Show” weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

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