A huge thank you to all of the members of Local 79 who engaged in the all-out battle that was waged to reform 421-a, the program that offers huge tax breaks to developers who build residential housing in New York City. Members made their voices heard by going to City Council hearings and going on buses up to Albany to lobby, taking on both New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the powerful real estate lobby. The message to elected officials was loud and clear: public subsidies in the form of tax breaks have to come with public responsibility. Developers will now have to come to an agreement on prevailing wage on 421-a jobs in the next six months or the 421a program will come to an end.
