When: Wednesday October 29th, 3:30pm Where: 57th St between 6th Ave & 7th Ave, NYC Why: Union members from all trades will be taking to the streets to raise our voices over workers getting exploited on construction projects in mid-town NYC! Questions: Contact Bernard 646-265-7762
Local 79 members, dressed up in various costumes, gave an unexpected greeting to guests coming to the New York State Association for Affordable Housing’s (NYSAFAH) swanky Annual Summer Cocktail Reception at the Princeton Club on Thursday, July 24. Silenced NYSAFAH workers lay on the sidewalk, while a top-hatted, cigar smoking executive handed out free money, representing the way in which NYSAFAH contractors abuse taxpayer subsidies. Members of Local 79 passed out leaflets expressing outrage that one of NYSAFAH’s major developers would sue affordable housing homeowners who called attention to his firm’s shoddy construction practices. Other members held up checks depicting the [...]
Over one hundred LiUNA members were present to greet LiUNA’s “Getting Schooled in Infrastructure” bus when it made a lunch-time stop on 41st Street and Sixth Avenue on Wednesday, July 23. The school bus, which has been damaged by a piece of a collapsed bridge, graphically calls attention to the conditions of the nation’s bridges, 30% of which have exceeded their 50-year life span. More generally, it is meant to call attention to the dire state of the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. LiUNA is calling for Congress to pass a long-term, full investment Highway Bill to carry out the needed repairs on bridges [...]
Local 79 continues to play a central role in Build Up NYC (BUNYC), a coalition of over 200,000 union men and women that is committed to good jobs and responsible development. The latest focus of BUNYC’s efforts is the proposed Astoria Cove project, a 2.2 million square-foot project that includes three tall waterfront towers and two inland towers. The developer, Alma Realty, is seeking to rezone the property and Local 79 members have been there every step to ensure that the project is carried out responsibly: at a rally on May 28th; at a public hearing on June 10th; at the [...]
On Sunday, July 27th at noon, WABC Channel 7's public affairs program "Here and Now" featured a segment about the Mason Tenders' Training Fund (MTTF). "Here and Now" is hosted by Sandra Bookman and focuses on issues of interest and concern to the African-American community. The segment featured interviews with MTTF staff and scenes of classroom and hands-on training of apprentices. It is very positive story about LiUNA and the MTTF's commitment to providing training and opportunities for minority men and women. To view the segment, click here.
Local 79 members are encouraged to join this year's African American Day Parade on Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 1:00 pm. The parade, which begins at 111th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and proceeds to 136th Street, is the largest such parade in the United States. Local 79 is always well-represented at this parade. This year, Business Manager Mike Prohaska is honored to join dignitaries such as Congressman Charles Rangel and Reverend Al Sharpton as one of the parade's Grand Marshals. Important note: Local 79 members will assemble before 1:00 pm at 112th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard.
Local 79 Business Manager Mike Prohaska paid a visit on Thursday, July 10 to over 50 Laborers working at 157 West 57th Street. The project, known as ONE57, will include residential condominiums and the Park Hyatt Hotel. Contractors are Lend Lease and EWBC.
The next date for open recruitment for Local 79's apprenticeship program is October 10th at 9:00 am. Information about apprenticeship, the requirements, and how the recruitment process is carried out is available through the New York State Department of Labor and through the Local 79 and the Mason Tenders' Training Fund websites.
On June 30, 2014, Local 79 announced it had reached agreements on all major contracts that were up for negotiation. Increases under all but one of the various multi-year contracts were set at $1.90 a year (.95 each six months), a yearly increase of approximately 3%. The NYC Demolition Contractors' Association contract was settled at $1.51 for the first year ($.75 as of July 1, 2014), which represents a first year increase of approximately 2.5%, and increases of 2.5% and 3% in the last two years. In addition to the raise, two additional A men were added to the ratio in the first [...]
