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Much of the NYC construction industry is under siege by forces that cling to old patterns of behavior. These forces seek to undermine tens of thousands of minority workers doing the majority of the building in NYC and employing the greatest number of New Yorkers, especially minorities, thereby creating a diverse workforce who for the first time has significant opportunity for stability and longevity. These workers come from New York communities where unemployment exceeds the national average, thousands of whom are minorities who have been historically ignored by stakeholders wedded to an outmoded method of doing business.
This vibrant construction sector has been responsible for an upsurge in affordable housing development that has begun to address what the City sees as the most crucial public policy issue that we face in New York. This could not have happened under the old and discredited business model, whose proponents are now understandably lashing out in fear and anger as their market share continues to evaporate.
BuildingNYC is an association that represents those doing the majority of the building in NYC today, especially affordable housing. Comprised of workers across all sectors of the NYC construction industry, we seek to protect and advocate for the right to work in a safe, fair and equitable environment that promotes continued growth and success.
Help us build New York City affordably, with true diversity, safety and fairness.
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The Real Story About Building NYC is Being Written Every Day:
POLITICO: Minority workers sue operating engineers union
Minority workers have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14 and several other construction groups alleging they have systematically discriminated against men and women of color in the hiring and employment of operating engineers.
CRAINS: Where’s the pay in union construction?
While white workers in unionized construction make $29.44 per hour on average, black workers make $23.70. That’s almost 20% less than their white colleagues.
Bloomberg: Tishman Construction Admits Cheating Trade Center Clients
Tishman Construction Corp., builder of One World Trade Center in New York’s financial district, admitted to an overbilling scheme spanning a decade and agreed to pay $20 million in restitution and penalties.
NYDN: EXCLUSIVE: NAACP claims Building Trades Council misleads New Yorkers about diversity in construction unions
The state NAACP is ripping the diversity of the city's construction unions, claiming the Building and Construction Trades Council is deceiving New Yorkers about the number of minorities in its ranks.
WSJ: Growth of Nonunion Construction Tests New York City Labor Leader
Even five years ago, it was unimaginable that a developer would defy the city’s powerful construction unions, led by Gary LaBarbera, and try to build a complicated Manhattan building without relying entirely on his members.
NYSAFAH: Union Construction Sites Have Higher Fatality Rates than Non-union Sites
This analysis demonstrates that there is no evidence to suggest that non-union construction sites are less safe than union sites, rather the opposite. The reason is that both union and non-union developers are committed to worker safety and that all construction sites are subject to the same New York City, State, and Federal safety standards.
WSJ: Around New York Building Sites, a Little-Known Threat
Yet at least once a month on average, a passerby is injured near a New York City construction site by anything from falling bricks, hammers and glass to windblown fences and collapsing sidewalk sheds.