LIUNA Local 3 and the Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund (LEROF) filed a lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court suing a contractor and a subcontractor for over $2 million in unpaid wages for work on Namdar Group and Kushner Companies projects.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The 14-page lawsuit alleges that over 240 laborers at One Journal Square, where Kushner Cos. was the developer, and 35 Cottage St., where the Namdar Group was the developer, haven’t been paid for roughly two years.
AJD Construction, a general contractor, and Concrete Rising, a subcontractor, are named as defendants for allegedly withholding payment to the laborers. Concrete Rising is accused of contracting wth a labor broker GP Concrete, that stopped paying workers in August 2024.
“We’re here today to announce the filing of a landmark lawsuit on behalf of hundred of aggrieved workers … who have been denied their wages they earned on Jersey City projects. The lawsuit starts today, but the fight for workers, and for fairer standards, has been going on for years in Jersey City for years and that will continue,” noted LIUNA Local 3 spokesman Mike Travostino.
“From an underground economy and unsafe workplaces, to worker intimidation and shady business practices, as the private sector construction industry is rife with illegal and unethical behavior that not only punishes workers, it penalizes law abiding contractors.”
According to findings by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, more than 240 workers are owed more than $716,000 in unpaid wages, not including statutory liquidated damages, penalties, and other remedies available under state law.
This occurred since GP Concrete declared bankruptcy, leaving workers without a practical means of recovering what they earned.
However, under New Jersey’s up-the-chain liability law, contractors and other responsible entities can now be held accountable.
“At it’s core, the case that our complaint lays out is straightforward: More than 240 construction laborers performed various stages of the concrete work on the One Journal Square and 35 Cottage Street projects here in Jersey City,” explained Hugh Baran, a partner a New York-based law firm Katz Banks Lumin, lead counsel in the matter.
“This is hard work, this is dangerous work, but that didn’t matter to GP Concrete, Concrete Rising LLC, or AJD Construction Company. And in August 2024, GP Concrete stopped paying the workers. GP said they didn’t have the money, all the while, you can read in our complaint, workers kept working because they were told money would come.”
According to Baran, both AJD Construction and Concrete Rising were made aware of the wage theft, but have done nothing to remedy the situation.
Adding political support to today’s effort were Jersey City Mayor James Solomon and Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, who both attended and spoke at Wednesday’s event.
“We’re holding contractors responsible, our message is simple: If you build in Jersey City, you have to build the right way. You to build to support working families, not to exploit working families … This development benefits the city only if it benefits all of the city,” said Solomon, who also vowed to work with LIUNA on enforcing the payroll tax.
“Pay these workers: Pay these hard workers their salaries that they deserve. The safety conditions that they worked under on some of these projects … We’ve been at this far too long, we should be at a better stage of labor relations and better stage of worker safety, and quite frankly, the privilege that these workers give to our community,” Guy declared.
While they were not able to be present, shortly thereafter, Council President Denise Ridley, Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros, Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little, and Councilman at-Large Rolando Lavarro all expressed their support for the labor litigation.
“Wage theft is a crime. These workers deserve to be paid every dollar they are owed. Hundreds of laborers had more than $700,000 stolen from them, including payment for work done right here in Jersey City,” Little said in a statement.
“Developers have to take responsibility for what happens on their job sites. I stand with LiUNA and their members in demanding accountability, justice, and full repayment. If you want to build in Jersey City, you must respect the workers who make it possible.”
A worker who spoke in Spanish under the pseudonym of Raul, noting he still feared retaliation, said he is still owed more than $4,500, explaining that laborers were often encouraged to work faster and without breaks.
“We felt like they didn’t see us as people,” he stated.
LIUNA’s efforts to hold Namdar and Kushner Cos. accountable go back to at least May 2023, with their latest rally taking place in June, as HCV first reported.
“This case is about ensuring that New Jersey’s construction industry rewards responsible businesses while protecting the men and women whose labor makes every project possible,” asserted LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Regional Manager Mike Hellstrom.
“When workers know they will be paid fairly, responsible contractors can compete on a level playing field, and communities benefit from an industry built on integrity.”
AJD Construction and Concrete Rising did not immediately return emails seeking comment.
