The LIUNA union protested against the Kushner Companies-owned One Journal Square construction site after a worker was injured and it allegedly took over an hour for an ambulance to be called.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
For the second time in just two weeks, the influential labor union alleged that a construction worker was seriously injured on the job.
In this instance, they alleged that instead of getting immediate medical attention from EMS, employees from Kushner Cos. used a trash container to move the injured worker.
“That might sound bizarre because it is. Not only was he taken off the job in a trash can, but he was held on the job for almost an hour before the ambulance came. They moved him even though he broken ribs, possible internal injuries with internal bleeding,” LIUNA Eastern Region Chief of Staff Bernard Callegari said.
“Just imagine that was your son and how afraid he might have been and the beam fell on him. And he wasn’t sure they were life threatening injuries or not … He asked them to not move him. You’re hurting me. They had no regard. There should be outrage in the streets of Jersey City!”
NJ Laborers Health and Safety Fund Assistant Director Mike Caterina also decried the way the situation was handled.
“It’s egregious action of emergency management and human morals. I have never heard or seen that ever. This is an outrage. It’s a risky business. Guys get hurt. We know that. But all incidents are preventable,” he began.
“Every job should have a site safety manager on it. When I worked for the large companies in New York and New Jersey, every job no matter how small had a site safety manger.”
Callegari also noted how irresponsible it is for someone without medical training to move an injured person since it can significantly worsen the damage inflicted.
“At the rate of construction in Jersey City, which is at this point faster than New York City, we need to implement something. We know we cannot leave it up to contractors clearly to determine the level of safety they should have,” he added.
NJ Building Laborers District Council Business Manager Carly Styles said the action taken here showed that Kushner Cos. has workers who “are clueless or lawless,” claiming they operate like a “sweatshop system.”
“For every tragic story we hear about, there are far more that go unreported, and they go unreported because the contractor or the project owner either doesn’t know the law or has something to hide,” said Styles.
“These contractors and developers are either clueless or they are lawless, and neither is an excuse, and neither should be allowed to happen ever again.”
Democratic nominee for Hudson County Executive Craig Guy said that it’s time for elected leaders to take a stand for union workers’ rights.
“It’s going to take some of the people here to help these guys and girls. Some of us in elected office and going for elected office have to take stands. If there’s a problem related to the labor unions, you know you can count on Craig Guy.”
He also pointed out that the new $340 million county courthouse is being built with 100 percent union labor.
“Half of these people behind me are unaware of the crap that’s been going on for the last year. I’ve complained to every department in this city,” exclaimed Jersey City Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano.
“The accidents that have been going on, the crap that’s falling off the roof and the things that happened and nobody has listened. Something has to be done. I get all the complaints, not these guys. I’ve been complaining for a year and nothing has been done.”
Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, a potential candidate for mayor in 2025, also spoke passionately in favor of better treatment for the union members.
“You had a 1,000 people in Newport Town Square, told the story of how a human being was treated like a piece of garbage. And did they listen? No. That is outrageous. It is on us the elected officials to raise our voices and to make sure the developers that did this hear us!” he stated.
“They have built some of the most expensive real estate, not in this region, in the world. They are making billions of dollars, LeFrak company, Kushner Companies, hiring contractors who do not provide workers with dignity. That is despicable. They’re used to buying politicians. But that time in Jersey City is going to end.”
LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Region Manager Mike Hellstrom also spoke out against the situation.
Not only are workers placed at risk, but the entire industry suffers as standards are lowered and law-abiding contractors have trouble competing with businesses willing to take short-cuts, cheat, and exploit workers to win work: It’s a cancer.”
Hellstrom said the city must regulate construction more or they will have workers dying “in the pursuit of greed and profit because all these developers, all they care about is their bottom line … This is an outrage.”
While OSHA regulates and enforces federal occupational safety and health issues, their resources are limited, and their involvement is usually after the fact.
Therefore, LIUNA believes city and county government should adopt more proactive policies that improve working conditions, increase enforcement, and, reduce the rates for injuries and fatalities in construction.
Kushner Cos. could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
