PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Oona Adams, Director of Organizing at Labor's Local 79, on the Construction Justice Act
1:37:32
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3 min
Oona Adams, Director of Organizing for Labor's Local 79, testifies in support of the Construction Justice Act, emphasizing the need for a $40 minimum compensation package for construction workers on city-subsidized affordable housing projects. She argues that this act is crucial to address the housing crisis and end worker exploitation.
- Adams highlights the disparity between state and city project compensation, rejecting a two-tiered system where workers on state projects earn $40/hour while those on city projects receive poverty wages.
- She refutes HPD's claims that the wage standard would be cost-prohibitive, citing existing projects and academic studies showing increased productivity with higher wages.
- Adams urges the city council to pass the Construction Justice Act to guarantee fair wages for construction workers on tax-subsidized affordable housing projects.
Oona Adams
1:37:32
And I thought I was loud enough.
1:37:34
Good morning.
1:37:35
My name is Oona Adams, and I'm the director of Organizing for Labor's Local 79.
1:37:41
The construction justice act is a necessary part of this city count those actions to address the current housing crisis and end the exploitation of workers who build affordable housing.
1:37:53
Currently, there are no standards for wages and benefits and community hiring attached to most forms of city financial assistance for affordable housing.
1:38:05
The Construction Justice Act will help end this unjust reality for construction workers.
1:38:13
Earlier this year, as was mentioned earlier in testimony, the city and HPD worked with Governor Hochul and the state legislature to pass a $40 minimum compensation package for all construction workers as part of its affordable neighborhoods or 485x program.
1:38:32
It is time for the city to enact that same $40 minimum standard for the workers who build affordable housing that receive city subsidies.
1:38:42
We reject a 2 tiered system where construction workers earn $40 an hour on a state project that's affordable housing, but are paid poverty wages.
1:38:54
On a city project that could be right next door.
1:38:57
That is wrong, and it's unacceptable.
1:39:01
$40 per hour must be the standard for all subsidized affordable housing projects.
1:39:08
Claims by HPD that this wage standard would be cost prohibitive at any threshold are not in good faith.
1:39:17
They ignore the fact that city subsidized affordable projects have been built already using this $40 an hour standard on both for profit and not for profit jobs, and that other cities and states have instituted structured wage standards for affordable housing using some of the subsidy streams like WITEC, which were discussed earlier.
1:39:42
These doomsday claims ignore multiple academic studies which confirm that higher wages have been shown to increase productivity by retaining experienced workers and faster time to completion.
1:39:56
And as it was discussed earlier, market precedent clearly exists.
1:40:01
Already for paying construction workers this $40 an hour package.
1:40:06
Indeed, this precedent has been created in recent years by responsible contractors, unions, and affordable housing develop but it's time to move past project by project.
1:40:18
Market driven approaches will raise wages for some but leave many workers vulnerable to poverty wages, especially when low road contractors like Lincoln was speaking about are building affordable housing.
1:40:32
Let's be clear.
1:40:33
The market will not guarantee that these construction workers earn the same $40 minimum wage and benefit package, but city government can and should guarantee it.
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When tax dollars subsidize affordable projects.
1:40:48
And that's why the city council should pass the construction justice act.
1:40:53
We thank the city council and the chair and speaker for their leadership in uplifting New York City Communities.
