BuildingNYC will be an advocacy organization primed to effectively respond to the desperate efforts of the construction unions to maintain their slipping market share in the industry and in the process malign those companies who are successfully providing quality construction at all levels of this diversified market.

This advocacy will involve the creation of community based coalitions that entail the development of partnerships between our members, our diverse workforce, and advocacy groups interested in the promotion of both affordable housing and the continued creation of jobs for the New Yorkers that are most in need of quality employment and a living wage.

The development of this kind of grass roots coalition building will be the foundation of our political strategy to combat those special interest groups aligned with the labor unions. Our goal will be to underscore that our members are the linchpin for reducing income inequality and promoting the kind of job growth that communities of color are looking for.

As with all of these kinds of campaigns, this one involves the creation of a compelling narrative that will put our opponents – and not us-on the defensive. We will do this be galvanizing our own minority workforce and partner it with those affordable housing advocates – and the mayor – who are trying to dramatically increase the affordable housing stock in the City.

In the process, we will be drafting Op-Eds, providing policy papers to the media, and conducting coalition press conferences that dramatize our positions. While doing this, we will not let a single false attack go forward without a rebuttal of our own.

In the successful development of the campaign – and the organization behind it – we will aggressively be protecting and promoting the rights of all our member construction firms, and shielding them from political favoritism and unfair regulatory sanctions.

BuildingNYC will insure that regulations, codes, laws, and overall industry standards are applied without any bias – and that strong due process standards are implemented that take political favoritism right out of any enforcement process.

Our political agenda will pursue the following goals:

  1. Ensure that there are clear and equitable health and safety criteria at the Department of Buildings
  2. Advocate for the passage of responsible site safety reporting legislation;
  3. Campaign against unfair union discrimination that creates an uneven playing field in the construction industry;
  4. Mobilize the public and elected officials to get rid of incompetent and corrupt inspectors – and thereby shine the light against the bad actors at the DOB;
  5. Monitor new legislation to insure that it adequately protects the interests of our industry-and advocate for bills designed to enhance our ability to construct the best buildings not only in NYC in New York, but anywhere in the world.

How will BuildingNYC achieve this?

  1. Develop an outreach strategy that will educate our elected officials, media, and the general public about the POSITIVE contributions the construction industry offers
  2. Grass roots lobbying effort
  3. Press Conferences
  4. Interactive Website
  5. BuildingNYC will protect the economic interests of its mMembers and all of the men and women who rely on these firms for their livelihood.
  6. We will be heard, and our interests will be protected!

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