In the coming days, Cornell University will announce the developer of its proposed $17 million, 130,000-square-foot office building in downtown Ithaca.
The way some see it, every bit of wiring, hammering, bricklaying, etc. should be the job of local union workers. That's probably not going to happen, but it's a place to start a mutually respectful conversation.
In a March 9 letter to the lawyer for the Common Good Coalition -- a new organization that wants CU to use "community-friendly" labor -- Cornell's Vice President for University Relations Henrik Dullea wrote, "As we have indicated to the leadership of the Building Trades Council, we are confident that if this project ultimately moves forward to implementation, it will result in a dramatic increase in the volume of work available for local workers represented by the Council."
Unfortunately, the optimism found in that statement is dampened by some moves that don't help anyone. Many believe that Cheektowaga-based lawyers for the Common Good Coalition have noble intentions, but some of their strategies might not be in the best interest of union members or the community at large.
At a meeting earlier this month with CU, Building Trades Council representatives and other area leaders, the coalition's lawyer Richard Furlong vowed to "close the project down" if things didn't go his way.
We hope that's a bargaining point. Most would agree that this development holds great promise for the community, including union labor.
Cornell knows what's riding on this project, and, as Dullea notes in a letter to Furlong, "We look forward to working cooperative with the Building Trades Council to secure favorable working conditions on the proposed project and to make it a project of which our entire community will be proud."
To reach that end, it will require an atmosphere that's rational, not rash. There are folks on all sides of this issue that want that as well.
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