This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
Published on August 12, 2019, a report by Harvard University revealed that membership in the Building and Construction Trades Council, a union umbrella group, has significantly declined in New York City. In the 1980s, the council had around 250,000 members, but today that number has dropped to approximately 100,000.
According to Brian Sampson, president of the New York chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, a nonunion trade association, unions now receive only 20 percent of permits for new private construction and renovation jobs in the city. This decline in union influence has been a concern for the building trades, which have traditionally controlled the industry.
Representatives of the building trades, including carpenters, bricklayers, and plumbers, argue that their members are still employed on the largest public projects and private developments. They point to the ongoing Hudson Yards project, often described as the biggest private development in the city since Rockefeller Center, as an example of their continued influence.
However, a feud arose between Related Companies, the group behind Hudson Yards, and the building trades in late 2017 and early 2018. Related accused the building trades of violating labor agreements, while Local 79 and other unions learned that Related would be expanding its use of nonunion firms like Trade Off.
Trade Off has been accused of exploitation, with allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. A Local 79 campaign to organize workers at Trade Off helped bring these issues to light in 2017 and 2018.
