NYC Mayor Disses Construction Unions As Too Unaffordable for Affordable Housing

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Bill de Blasio
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, widely considered to be one of the most pro-union politicians in the country, has essentially told New York’s construction unions that their so-called “prevailing wage rates” are too unaffordable to be considered for affordable housing the mayor wants to see built.

Yet, according to the NY Daily News, the mayor does want to expand prevailing wages paid to building service workers who work in buildings 30 or more stories tall.

The normally pro-labor mayor Tuesday rejected the idea of prevailing wage for construction workers on the theory that the higher costs will scare off developers from building affordable units.

“It’s well known that I am a believer in union labor, but I am also a believer in achieving the affordable housing goals that I put forward,” he said. “The only way to achieve those goals is with an appropriate wage level for the creation of affordable housing, which obviously is not based on the profit motive. It’s based on a very different design.”

De Blasio said he’s made his position clear “to leaders in the labor movement, that this is a pretty sacred mission from my point of view, to really produce affordable housing on a grand scale. I think there is a way to do it that accommodates union labor but not at prevailing wage. We’re trying to find a more balanced approach.”

According to a 2011 report by the non-partisan Regional Plan Association, non-union shops are 20-30% less expensive than unionized jobs.

See the full story at the New York Daily News.

Related: Labor groups: de Blasio 421a plan a ‘slap in the face’

6 COMMENTS

  1. It was the UNIONS that built this model country called AMERICA, and the rest of the world copied America because they realized it was the way to go. Treat the working union people fairly and you will be rewarded ten fold. Wake up Mr. Mayor I know you are tall, but you have your head too far up in the clouds. To think of building affordable housing in New York City and leaving out the UNIONS is nothing more that insanity. Not the way to go if you think about getting elected again. Maybe you should consider changing your advisors.

  2. Let me understand this correctly….The mayor wants labor to work for sub-union pay scales. Is he willing to ask construction companies to perform the work at cost?

  3. In New Jersey if a building is over a certian amount of square feet it is LAW to pay prevailing wage. You get these non union companiese that bid prevailing wage, and only pay their workers if their lucky $15.00/hr..

    What also makes me laugh are the anti union workers that bad mouth the union but when the contractor has to pay them what we earn they sing a different tune.

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