Build Up NYC Rally

Hotel Trades Council members participated in a Build Up NYC rally last week (seen in the above photo) as part of the continuing effort to bring about responsible development in the city.

As many members know, many large projects in the city have been accompanied by tax breaks and other public perks. This is done on the theory that the developers are taking financial risks and therefore need an incentive to do their developing. But these tax breaks and other perks (like the use of public land) often amount to enormous sums of money and are frequently far more generous than many experts think they need to be.

In return for this public largesse, developers promise to provide hundreds and even thousands of jobs. But lately many of these projects are being built with labor that is non union and not even up to area standards. Making matters worse, when the projects are completed the employment they offer is very often below area standards. In addition, too often affordable housing is ignored or delayed even as developers make billions in profits at the expense of taxpayers and workers.

Build Up NYC continues to bring these important issues to the public’s attention and we sincerely thank those members of our Union who joined staff at last week’s rally.