A federal judge has ordered workers at dozens of New York City construction sites to return to work Monday after their union staged an illegal citywide strike.
Construction workers walked off the job last week at about 20 worksites across the city after the New York City District Council of Carpenters called for a strike. The striking began after negotiations with the Cement League, an association representing unionized construction workers, had stalled.
“For those of us who are trying to promote union work, the actions of the District Council of Carpenters is frustrating and distressing,” Michael Salgo, executive director of the Cement League, told Capital New York.
The league petitioned Judge Edgardo Ramos who found the strike to be in violation of the union’s current Project Labor Agreements. The agreements forbid striking at 12 of the worksites including Hudson Yards and the World Trade Center 3 building, reports the New York Post. Failure to comply with the order may lead to some workers being held in contempt.
“At a time when union contractors are losing more and more market share to their non-union counterparts,” Salgo continued. “For the carpenters union to stage illegal strikes on union sites where they had explicitly promised not to take such job actions sends the wrong message altogether.”
The Carpenters do plan to end the strike. Council spokeswoman Elizabeth McKenna, told the New York Post last week the union has already ordered workers to return to their jobs Monday. According to its own website, the union hopes the return to work will be seen as a show of good faith to the Cement League. Contracts at 5 worksites between the Carpenters and the League expired on Wednesday.
The Carpenters union and the Cement League did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation.
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