Yearly Archives: 2016

/2016

More Affordable Housing Falls Victim to Labor’s Self Interest

450 affordable apartments-part of the larger Astoria Cove development in Queens, have fallen victim to the narrow self interest of organized labor:

July 18th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Latest News, Non-Union Projects, Union Pay|

Crain’s: Crane inventor gives his side of the city’s ban—and backs it up

Over the past month there has been a great deal of press attention to the fate of the Skypicker, the innovative crane I designed to make aspects of construction safer and less expensive.

July 7th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Latest News, Site Safety|Tags: , |

Construction Unions to New Yorkers: Pay Us or Stay Homeless

The play by the construction unions is a classic knock of the old wolf in sheep's clothing fable-hiding their rapaciousness behind the cloak of affordable housing even as they must know that paying their demand for “prevailing wages” will make it almost impossible to come anywhere near the mayor’s ambitious housing goals.

July 6th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Latest News, Non-Union Projects, Union Pay|

Handwriting on the Wall for Construction Unions in NYC

Construction unions are reaching a serious crossroads in New York. For years, utilizing political muscle and other forms of intimidation, they dominated building in the city-squashing non-union efforts easily like a bug. But then things began to change as the death grip of organized labor was slowly removed and contractors began to see how costly and inefficient the building trades had become.

June 24th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Corruption, Diversity, Latest News, Non-Union Projects, Site Safety, Union Pay|

BNYC Supports Mayor de Blasio’s Zoning Legislation

Mayor Bill de Blasio is urging the state legislature to change the law to permit the city to promote larger residential buildings that would pave the way for more affordable housing in the city

June 10th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Latest News, Non-Union Projects|

BNYC Supports Brooklyn Borough President on Construction Union Diversity

In today’s Crain’s, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams highlights the fact that the construction unions that are loudly demanding that affordable housing developments hire their own members at a high prevailing wage scale, “…lack the rich diversity found in the communities around them.”

Crain’s New York Business 5/29/2016

In the process, as we have […]

June 1st, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Diversity, Latest News, Non-Union Projects, Site Safety|

Crains New York Doubles Down on SKYPICKER

It’s always sad when New York City politics and bureaucracy kill an entrepreneur’s dream. But one such story, recounted by our Peter D’Amato in last week’s Crain’s, is especially infuriating because the innovator, crane operator Dan Mooney, wasn’t the only victim. The whole city lost.

May 25th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Corruption, Latest News, Site Safety|

Crain’s New York: The Little Crane That Should

Business magazine Crain's New York Business investigates why an innovative, compact crane called the "Skypicker" is not allowed to operate in the city after multiple successful runs on a Manhattan Construction site

May 16th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Latest News, Site Safety|Tags: |

Is Cuomo the new Boss Tweed?

Late last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo made it clear that he cares more about political connections than empowering workers in New York. This should be deeply concerning for taxpayers and for those who want to create more middle-class jobs throughout the state.

May 4th, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Corruption, Diversity, Latest News, Non-Union Projects, Union Pay|

BNYC Supports REBNY on 421-A

BNYC believes strongly that it is time for the governor to intervene and draft an extension proposal for the vitally needed 412-a program.

May 2nd, 2016|Categories: Better Building, Latest News, Non-Union Projects|