The NYC Department of Buildings has announced that New York City will now enter Phase 1 of reopening and construction work on non-essential projects starting this Monday. The health and safety of our members continues to be the top priority of Local 79.  The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we work.  While the COVID-19 public health emergency persists, the State has created guidelines for construction work to safely continue.  We encourage [...]

The governor has put in place guidelines for all New York construction businesses including both mandatory requirements and recommended best practices. These guidelines apply to essential construction sites as well as all permitted construction sites when Phase 1 re-opening starts in New York City. This guidance is not intended to replace any existing applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and standards. Read the 'Reopening New York' guidelines for construction [...]

Important Message Regarding COVID-19 Hardship Distribution Checks from Mason Tenders Trust Funds: The checks for approved COVID-19 Hardship Distribution applications that were received by the Fund by April 15th were mailed on Monday, May 11th. Due to US postal service delays as a result of the pandemic, please allow 10 business days before contacting the Fund Office about your check.  Thank you for your patience.

As the city and the world prepare for returning to work, one thing we can be certain of is there will be a new normal. COVID-19 training has already begun to be required by some of our signatory contractors. We strongly urge every single member of Local 79 to take the COVID-19 – INFECTIOUS DISEASE TRAINING and the ICRA AWARENESS TRAINING for Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA), which are now [...]

Op-Ed in the New York Daily News byLocal 79 Business Manager Mike Prohaska   Workers in hospitals, grocery stores, transit, warehouses, construction sites and elsewhere have been rightly deemed essential. But a tale of two cities is playing out before our eyes: The privileged shelter in place, while others put their bodies on the line to provide healthcare, food, housing and infrastructure. Unfair working conditions have long existed, but [...]

Through the Zoom platform, members can enter a virtual classroom with a live video view of their Instructor and other class participants, interact with them, ask questions, and more.  In effect, you are in the classroom. And, you can use your home computer, iPad or other tablet, or even your cellphone!  All of these devices work with Zoom. All class registration will be done via email NO TELEPHONE REGISTRATIONS Do [...]

Brothers & Sisters, As you know, I have been working with the Funds to develop options for you to access your annuity. The Funds work hard to protect and grow your investments.  But I understand that these are difficult times and some of you may need to access these assets, and now you have the ability to do that. The following information outlines the details and deadlines. While I consider [...]

We know there is a lot going on, but it is even more important now to fill out the Census to make sure our state gets the funding it needs. Every household can take the census by phone, mail, or computer. Click liuna-ny.org/mycensus to fill out.

Brothers and Sisters, Governor Cuomo’s directive to close all non-essential construction sites is a gamechanger. We anticipate that the situation regarding construction may get worse before it gets better. As I write this, there has been no definitive response to questions that are being raised regarding SCA work and there is much debate on the definition of what is essential Affordable Housing. The Union cannot maintain its current level of [...]