A coalition's role

I was even more disturbed by the notion that the editorial seemed to parrot a letter written by Henrik Dullea, CU's Vice-President for Community Relations, which seems to have the sole interests of the university in mind.

I am proud to be a member of the Common Good Coalition, which is not, contrary to the editorial's implication, a selfishly interested group of building trade members looking to protect our territory. We are advocates for all workers' rights (both union and non-) in our community, comprised of community, labor and student organizations that share a common belief that we have the power to shape the social fabric of our community by working to establish pro-community development standards.

"Community friendly" is not a convenient term designed to serve no purpose other than blocking development.

We are not about blocking development, but as taxpayers and community and workplace advocates we do feel the obligation to guide development. Our mission statement clearly outlines several core principles that capture our community friendly agenda.

Because new construction projects will mean job opportunities for our local community, the Common Good Coalition advocates for greater participation of local women and minority trades people to fulfill project hours. The Coalition has initiated ongoing meetings with community groups that serve under-represented minorities and apprentice coordinators from all of the skilled trades to begin a dialog on how to proceed with our hiring goals.

If tax incentives are to be used to encourage development, the Coalition believes these building projects must also be a means of forwarding the skill-set and diversity of the local supply of skilled trades people.

Upon completion of all local development projects, local labor will still be needed to maintain these facilities, so the Coalition advocates for union representation and for a "living wage" for all maintenance staff. Too often, these maintenance services are contracted out to the lowest bidder, allowing these local workers neither the opportunity to sustain themselves and their families in a dignified manner, nor the resources to contribute to the vitality of the local economy.

Quality local jobs, labor protections, and new opportunities for under-represented minority workers are not a bad tradeoff for assisting with the tax burden and rental price of the soon to be decided developer and Cornell University. We want this project to succeed, but we also believe that as community, student, and labor leaders we should have a say in how this project will be realized.

Jennifer Bloom

Trainer, Midstate Central Labor Council, March 16