Staten Island
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Amazon fails to overturn Staten Island warehouse's vote to unionize
Amazon has failed to convince Cornele Overstreet, a regional director with the National Labor Relations Board, to overturn JFK8 workers' vote in favor of unionization.
Amazon suspends Staten Island workers who held impromptu strike
Amazon has suspended about 50 workers at a Staten Island warehouse after they held an impromptu strike.
US labor board sues Amazon to reinstate fired Staten Island worker
The NLRB says the employee, who helped lead protests against the company, was fired in retaliation.
Another Amazon warehouse has reportedly received approval for a union election
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has reportedly approved a petition for another Amazon warehouse union election.
Amazon union organizer arrested for allegedly trespassing at warehouse
With Amazon's Staten Island warehouse facing a vote to unionize next month, police have arrested labor organizer Christian Smalls.
Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse will hold a union election in March
The in-person election will take place over six days.
Amazon workers at second New York location move to unionize
Workers at LDJ5, an Amazon warehouse facility on New York's Staten Island, have filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board.
Amazon workers in New York make another attempt at forming a union
Former and current warehouse workers at JFK8, Amazon's fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York, have refiled an application to hold a vote on unionization.
AT&T lights up LTE network in St Louis, expands coverage in Staten Island
AT&T continues to slowly spread its flavor of 4G LTE throughout the land, tonight crossing two St. Louis and Staten Island off of its spring / early summer expansion list. The timing is favorable for anyone that gave up high speed wireless internet access for Lent, however everyone else still waiting for access will be looking on in jealousy. With brand new access in St. Louis and expanded coverage in Staten Island (4G LTE is live in all five boroughs) AT&T has pulled off the rare trifecta of pleasing Nelly, the Wu-Tang Clan and, perhaps, Bruce Springsteen.
NY teen arrested after leaving threatening note on screen in Apple Store
A teen in New York has been arrested for leaving a threatening note on the screen of a computer at an Apple Store. The 17-year-old boy was joking around with friends when he typed a note on screen promising "a bloody death" to anyone working in the store via a "bomb loaded with C4, strapped to my chest." The note was then signed with the name of one of his friends' fathers. He claims he typed it just to be funny, and then forgot to delete it when he left, but the District Attorney in Staten Island says it's no joke -- the kid faces up to seven years in prison. I can't help but think they'll let him off the hook eventually. Sure, it was a stupid (really stupid) thing to do, and they should come up with a punishment that teaches the kid a lesson, but time in prison labeled as a terrorist seems a little much for showing off to friends in an Apple Store. Maybe they can have him do some in-store lip synching performances as a community service. [via Cult of Mac]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: December 20, 2008
We know the holidays are just around the bend, but the installers at Verizon aren't taking an early leave. This week, more Southern California homes and businesses were gifted with FiOS TV, particularly in areas of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Over on the right coast, residents in Blasdell, Kenmore and Lackawanna (New York) are joining the FiOS TV crowd, while prospective buyers in Staten Island now have a retail outlet to visit. Moving on, locals in Chester, Pennsylvania should see the service launch later this month, while subscribers in Portland, Oregon now have access to 102 HD channels. Finally, the Washington, D.C. council has unanimously approved, with one abstention, legislation authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-based programming service to District residents. Somehow, we get the idea this won't get through without a fight from one particularly angry cable carrier. Like we said, busy week.Read - California expansionRead - New York expansionRead - Staten Island storeRead - Pennsylvania expansionRead - Portland, Oregon HD channel expansionRead - Washington, D.C. expansion
TWC adds HD Movies on Demand in Staten Island, New York
Feelin' pretty good about all those new HD channels, are ya Staten Island? For those still not content, how's about a little HD Movie on Demand action? A friendly resident has just sent in a screenshot proving that the service has indeed launched on channel 700, even though he wasn't expecting it until June. Per usual, we've no idea how quickly slowly Time Warner Cable will spread the goods to other areas of New York, but with all of the systems transitioning to digital, we'd guess the wait shouldn't be too long. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, UnnDunn]
Time Warner Cable drops HD bombshell on New York / New Jersey
Lookee here, it's all coming true. The bits we heard about a massive HD rollout coming to Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, NY (not to mention New Jersey) are now being confirmed by Time Warner Cable. On April 30th, the three previously highlighted areas will have access to 50 HD channels, while those very stations will be available to all digital subscribers in Manhattan (!!!), New Jersey, the Hudson Valley region and Mt. Vernon "later this year." Additionally, TWC is gearing up to add over 250 HD VOD options, launch Enhanced HDTV (which includes Start Over) and position itself "to carry 100 high-definition channels" in NY and NJ by the close of 2008. Progress is a wonderful thing, innit? Check the full list of upcoming HD channels in the read link. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
TWC's Queens / Brooklyn HD expansion going live on April 30
Time Warner Cable has been toying with the heartstrings of Brooklyn / Queens, New York residents for months now with a succulent lineup of HD additions. Nevertheless, new verbiage from the carrier explains that said newcomers will actually hit the aforementioned boroughs on April 30th (as in, for real this time). Additionally, well-stocked Staten Island will be picking up a few more high-def options on the same day, so click on through to take a look at what to expect in just over a month. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, UnnDunn and Jason]
TWC brings more HD to Staten Island and Syracuse, NY
Just as we expected, Time Warner Cable is delivering five new HD channels to its all-digital Staten Island market, and while midtown NYC gets left out (again), folks braving the chill up in Syracuse have three more reasons to stay indoors. Aside from gaining NY1 on slot 701, Staten Island residents will also see the Discovery suit showing up in their EPG, which includes Science Channel HD (775), TLC HD (752), Discovery HD (766) and Animal Planet HD (786). As for Syracuse, locals in the region can now tune into History Channel HD (818), TBS HD (822) and CNN HD (824). As for surrounding areas, we haven't heard anything official concerning the possibility of these networks spreading, but as always, keep a sharp eye on that channel lineup and drop us a line if any newcomers pop up. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Vin P. and Michael V.]
FSN New York becoming MSG Plus HD, more HD coming to Staten Island
We're not certain if this change will affect more than a few key areas of New York and New Jersey (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bergen, Mt. Vernon and Hudson Valley to be precise), but Fox Sports Net New York is set to become MSG Plus in mid-March. As expected, FSN NY HD will also become MSG Plus HD, but channel slots on TWC aren't expected to change. Around the same time, YES HD in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island will be relocating from channel 730 to 753, while NY1 HD gets added to the Time Warner Cable lineup in Woodside and Staten Island (only, unfortunately) on slot 701. For subscribers on Staten Island, you can also look forward to seeing Discovery HD (766), Animal Planet HD (786), TLC HD (752) and Science Channel HD (755). Needless to say, Manhattan gets the proverbial shaft yet again, but we'll keep you posted if things change. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
New York pol compares V-Tech Rampage to GTAIV
Confusing politicians about video games is like shooting fish in a barrel it seems. State Senator Andrew Lanza (R) of Staten Island, has publicly come out against a flash game called V-Tech Rampage, in which players reenact the recent massacre at Virginia Tech. Concerning the game Lanza stated, "There are certain things in life you don't make light of and should not be turning into a game ... It's not a game, it's a tremendous loss of life."Unfortunately, Lanza revealed his lack of understanding about the game when he called on "retailers, manufacturers and Web site hosts" to distance themselves from the game. V-Tech Rampage is an independent game created by an Australian man named Ryan Lambourn. Clearly, Lanza doesn't understand the distinction between industry product and that which is independently produced.Still, Lanza finds a way to lump GTAIV into his statements, saying, "You've got Grand Theft Auto where you murder police officers ... To me, I can't imagine people marketing and distributing it, and putting it in the hands of kids, but it's happening." If we're going to continue the fight against violent games, can we at least get a new scapegoat? GTA is getting old.[Via Joystiq]
Ignored island politician lumps V-Tech Rampage with GTA IV
State Senator Andew Lanza (R) of Staten Island, chair of the New York Senate's Task Force on Youth Violence and the Entertainment Industry , has publicly come out against video game V-Tech Rampage saying, "There are certain things in life you don't make light of and should not be turning into a game ... It's not a game, it's a tremendous loss of life."He hopes that the title stays on the fringe and in a classic moment of ignorance asks that the game be shunned by retailers, manufacturers and website hosts. And we're back to square one of politicians not knowing the difference between independent and industry games.Lanza goes on to say, "You've got Grand Theft Auto where you murder police officers ... To me, I can't imagine people marketing and distributing it, and putting it in the hands of kids, but it's happening." Of course, Rockstar has already weighed in about how much stock they put into what anybody from Staten Island says by just not inlcluding the landmass in GTA IV.[Via GamePolitics]
Staten Island slighted by GTAIV
Many will recall yesterday's big Grand Theft Auto IV news including plenty of new details about the game. One of those details is causing a bit of a stir in Staten Island. It was revealed yesterday that only four of New York's five boroughs would be represented in GTAIV, with Staten Island being left out. It seems that Staten Island (or at least one of its newspapers) is miffed at its exclusion from the game. As John Annese writes in the Staten Island Advance "When did Staten Island get run off the road as a borough of New York City?" A gamer at a local gaming center stated, "If you're gonna base a game on the five boroughs and you leave out one of the boroughs, it's kind of unsettling" (he added that he would still probably buy the game though).Of course, not everyone is displeased with the news. Linda Baran, the president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce noted, "That's something I appreciate being left out of." A mother at the gaming center shared similar sentiments, noting that GTA is "not a great game" and that her son wasn't allowed to play it.Naturally, as game journalists, we're disappointed that so many people remain unaware that games have grown up over the years. Still, the response is expected at this point. Considering the flack companies have been getting lately for basing their games on real world locations, it's interesting to see things turned the other way around.[Via Game Stooge]
