The New York Construction Alliance (NYCA), has furthered its crusade against New York City Council’s construction apprenticeship bill, Intro 1447, by aligning itself with NYCHA resident leaders, whose mission it is to find opportunities, such as safety training, jobs, and contracts, for low income individuals in New York City.
Currently, most apprenticeship programs, which are certified by the state Department of Labor, are run by the trade union organizations, but not nonunion companies. Some fear that if Intro 1447 becomes law it will give more business to the unions, steering work away from nonunion employers, which have an overwhelming amount of the minority workers. So the opposition to the bill is asking that more training and courses specifically geared for safety be required over apprenticeships.
NYCA has been a formidable opponent of Intro 1447 since its introduction on January 18, 2017 on the grounds that the legislation would disproportionately—and negatively—impact minorities via the open-shop companies that employ them. NYCA is focusing its support via a non-profit organization, Public Housing Communities, Inc. (PHC), which works with local resident [NYCHA] association presidents to facilitate programs that assist with economic development.
“Sometimes a grassroots effort is necessary to bring attention to a very important issue, such as the reverberating impact that Intro 1447 would have on minorities, and especially those of us residing in public housing,” said Kenneth Thomas, executive director of NYCA. “Most of the New York Construction Alliance’s workforce is both minority and living within the city limits, including public housing. The fallout from enacting such a draconian piece of legislation would do far more harm than good. As an organization, we fully support safer work sites, and training for workers, but facilitated in such ways that wouldn’t prohibitively restrict access to these opportunities.”
NYCHA leaders have collected over 4,000 signatures from tenants opposing the bill, according to Charlene Nimmons, executive director of Public Housing Communities, Inc. “Every time we get a foot in, or a leg up, they move that bar,” Nimmons said. “This administration is supposed to be progressive. So you’re supposed to be figuring out ways to help us end poverty, not continue to have us stricken by it.”
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