Concrete workers belonging to the New York City District Council of Carpenters have gone on strike, bringing work to a halt at an estimated 30 jobsites around the city.
According to a report from Crain’s New York Business, the strike is the result of the ending of a collective bargaining agreement between the council and the Cement League, a trade organization made up of contractors that “hire district council workers under a collective contract.”
As part of the demonstrations, workers played bagpipes and drums while hoisting large banners. Crain’s reports the “Cement League alleges that many of the protests … were taking place in violation of separate, site-specific contracts that forbid workers from striking.”
However, the carpenters council denied that claim, saying the strikes were occurring on jobsites not governed by Project Labor Agreements.