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NYP: NY construction unions make it hard for minorities to move up

When Averil Morrison sued the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14-B for racial discrimination back in 2012, she confirmed what we’ve known for decades: New York City union construction is no standard-bearer for workplace diversity.

Introducing BuildingNYC!

BuildingNYC is an association that represents those workers doing the majority of the building in NYC today, especially affordable housing. Comprised of a diverse workforce from 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 job growth and economic success.

NYT: New York Sheet Metal Workers Case Highlights Persistence of Workplace Discrimination

The union’s white members have received more work and larger pensions, data show. In contrast, minority members, who have lagged for decades, often struggle to find steady jobs and to earn enough credit to retire on time with full pensions.

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.

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