Activists Protest Non-Union Construction At Jewish Theological Seminary

Activists protest Gilbane outside JTS on May 1. Image by facebook

By Josh Nathan-Kazis May 1, 2017

Activists held a protest on Monday outside the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan against the contractor that the rabbinical school hired to manage a massive construction project on campus.

JTS, the flagship seminary of Conservative Judaism, hired the contractor Gilbane to build a new library and residence hall as part of a major refiguring of its facilities. Gilbane has received widespread criticism for hiring non-union subcontractors at job sites across New York City.

The seminary has come under growing pressure in recent weeks for its decision to hire Gilbane. An article on the leftist blog Jewschool accused the seminary of hypocrisy in hiring the firm. In late April, JTS students and other activists sent a letter to the board of trustees demanding that the school cancel Gilbane’s contract.

At Monday’s protest, organized by the Workmen’s Circle and the NYC Community Alliance for Worker Justice, activists called on Gilbane to select subcontractors for the JTS project who are either unionized or meet union standards.

JTS said in a statement that Gilbane’s practices were in line with industry norms. “Gilbane operates under an open shop model, which utilizes a combination of union and non-union labor, and is consistent with the citywide trend toward open shop on projects of this kind,” the seminary said. “Gilbane upholds the same strict wage and safety standards for both its union and non-union subcontractors, requiring all subcontractors to comply with living wage requirements and provide certified payrolls.”

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO