The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) is slamming Kushner Companies over three stop-work orders being issued for “The Journal,” a nearly $1 billion project in One Journal Square that includes a 67-story skyscraper.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) issued three stop-work orders one week ago.
They cited MJQ Drywall, 506 Painting, and Exxon Development for issues including worker misclassification, unpaid or late wages, overtime rate, and earned sick leave, according to LIUNA
“Exploitation in Jersey City is the direct result of the political elite selling out the community and workers to billionaire developers like the Kushner family,” LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Regional Manager Michael Hellstrom said in a statement.
“Charles Kushner and Steven Fulop are following their ambitions for high profile political positions, while workers are left with the consequences of careless Jersey City development.”
LIUNA, early supporters of U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11) for governor, are targeting Fulop ahead of what is expected to be a competitive June 10th Democratic primary.
Back in April 2018, the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority informed Kushner Cos. that they violated their redevelopment agreement and therefore a tax break would not be granted, as HCV first reported.
This discord led to the developer filing a federal lawsuit claiming they had unfair dealings with the city due to politics: their former president Jared Kushner, is President Donald Trump’s (R) son-in-law who also served as his senior advisor during his first term.
While that case was dismissed in August 2019 , a similar suit was filed by the next month.
Kushner Cos. had also won $99,000 in attorneys’ fees in a related but separate Open Public Records Act lawsuit, which was dismissed in July 2020.
Ultimately, the JCRA approved a settlement in October 2020 and city officials broke ground on the project in June 2022.
Organizers from LIUNA’s Eastern Region assisted workers in reporting allegations of wage theft and tax evasion to NJDOL.
Workers further alleged that when NJDOL investigators visited the job sites, company foremen and supervisors lied to the workers, falsely telling them that the NJDOL investigators were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to try to dissuade workers from speaking with investigators.
Wage theft at The Journal development site isn’t just a one-off—it’s part of a troubling pattern. Last year dozens of concrete workers reported working for weeks without pay.
LIUNA stepped in and helped over 70 workers stand up for their rights and file formal claims with the NJDOL. This case is ongoing.
“We are grateful to do this work in New Jersey because we know the state of New Jersey and the excellent folks over at the Department of Labor, have working peoples’ backs — even when developers like Kushner Companies and general contractors like AJD can’t be trusted to follow the law on their job sites,” Hellstrom added.
Kushner Companies did not return an email seeking comment.
