Bronx, NY – Hundreds of workers and community leaders packed the Andrew Freedman House in the Bronx on Tuesday evening September 29th as current and former non-union construction workers spoke publicly about alleged abuses they have experienced working for labor brokers on affordable housing construction sites. Workers described concerns about low wages, unstable employment, working conditions and a lack of accountability on labor broker jobs.
The message was clear from the speakers and those in the audience – keep low-road labor brokers off publicly funded affordable housing projects.
“New York is preparing to make a historic investment in affordable housing,” said Mike Hellstrom, LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Region Manager. “We have a chance to build thousands of homes and thousands of good jobs at the same time, but only if the City draws a clear line against low-road labor practices on taxpayer-funded projects.”
This Bronx town hall marked the latest step in LIUNA’s ongoing campaign against labor-broker practices in the construction industry. Rallies in Brooklyn and the Bronx focused on issues with non-union companies including Marin Workforce and Apex Labor Solutions. The union campaign comes as City Hall moves forward with plans to build 200,000 taxpayer-subsidized affordable homes. LIUNA and their community partners are calling on City officials to ensure that the workers building that housing have safe, stable and good-paying jobs.
“We work hard, but the pay is too low to afford health insurance or put food on the table,” said Terrell Antley, who works for Apex Labor Solutions. “You’re doing construction work in New York City and still struggling to make ends meet. That’s not right.”
Council Member Shirley Aldebol, Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor, attended the town hall and heard directly from workers and community members. Speakers also included labor organizers, NYC Democratic Socialists of America Co-Chair Grace Mausser, Mothers on the Move Executive Director Wanda Salaman, and Teamsters Local 804’s Mitchell Israel.
At the event, Local 79 also premiered a new video highlighting its No Labor Brokers in Affordable Housing campaign, featuring workers and organizers calling for stronger protections and accountability.
The discussion also highlighted the Construction Justice Act, which establishes stronger wage and benefit standards for workers on certain City-assisted housing projects. As the City expands affordable housing investment, standards must be monitored with stronger oversight of contractors.
“The Construction Justice Act will set a higher standard for jobs created with public dollars,” said Dave Bolger, Business Manager for the Mason Tenders District Council. “Now the City has to make sure those standards actually mean something by holding contractors and labor brokers accountable for how workers are actually treated. This is critically important not only for workers, but for taxpayers who are sending millions to these developers, and even more to the workers who must rely on public assistance because of how little they are paid.”
