Elmhurst, Queens, is a bustling neighborhood, one of the most ethnically diverse in New York City. Throughout the day, Elmhurst is teeming with kids playing and walking to and from school, and people hanging out, talking, and shopping at the numerous stores that line the neighborhood’s main streets. Standing above it all, at one of the busiest intersections in Queens, is the massive Queens Center Mall.
The Queens Center Mall is among the most profitable malls in the entire country. In 2008, the mall had sales of $876 per square foot. The mall’s location, ample parking, and accessibility via the buses and subway trains generate foot traffic of over 26 million visitors annually.
The current owner of the Queens Center Mall is Macerich, one of the country’s largest owners of malls. Macerich receives over $100 million in tax breaks but most of the 3,100 jobs at the mall pay around $7.25 and do not include health benefits. As a result, the mall has helped create an entire community that is struggling under the weight of poverty-wage jobs.
We, the taxpayers are giving millions of dollars to Queens Center Mall, and then footing the bill when workers at the mall are forced to seek out public assistance to make ends meet.
Join Make the Road Action Fund in asking the owners of Queens Center Mall to respect our communities and give back. Sign our petition to ask that:
• mall retailers pay a living wage with benefits,
• respect their employees’ right to organize without intimidation or threats,
• and offer a community space to provide much needed services, such as job training, youth services, financial counseling and more.
To learn more about the Queens Center Mall Campaign click here: http://www.queenscentermall.org/pagedetail.php?id=3