Activists Protest Non-Union Construction At Jewish Theological Seminary
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
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.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
