Concrete Workers Strike at Atlantic Yards

For the in less than a week, on Monday morning construction workers rallied outside the looming Barclays Center construction site.

About half of the 25 union concrete workers from the Atlantic Yards site picketed at the site entrance at Sixth Avenue and Pacific Street, joining a citywide strike that members of the Cement and Concrete Workers District Council have threatened ever since the contract covering the workers expired on July 1.

Since then, cement workers have continued work at the Atlantic Yards site without a contract, pouring the site’s concrete floors, but today they said “enough.”

“We’re going to stand out here as long as it takes,” said one union member, who declined to give his name due to fears of retaliation. “They don’t want to let us work for a decent wage.”

The Cement League, a contract association that represents contractors like Commodore, which handles the Atlantic Yards site, has asked union concrete workers for a 25-cents-an-hour decrease over a three-year contract.

The Cement League, Commodore Construction and the Cement and Concrete Workers District Council all declined to comment on the strike, but picketers at the site said the are demanding a wage increase of $1.50 an hour, on top of the approximately $35 an hour they made under the previous contract.

Negotiations are ongoing, but workers at the site said they plan to continuing striking until a deal is reached.

“This is hard work,” said one union worker, who asked to be identified only as Joe. “We are out here all day in the heat, lifting heaving equipment, and pouring concrete.”

Picketing union members said that it is unlikely their strike will delay construction and prevent the arena from opening in the fall of 2012 for the 2012-2013 basketball season.

Last Wednesday, outside construction site over the lack of community jobs created by the mega project.