Bedford-Union Armory Developer Strikes Union Deal; Activists Not Impressed

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — The developer behind the hotly contested plan to turn the Bedford-Union Armory into a recreational center, condominiums and office space said Monday that it has struck a deal with a local union to provide fair wages and job-training programs.

The deal would seem to at least partially satisfy one of the demands activists had at a raucous public meeting last month, when they asked that the property be built with union labor. But they also would rather see the property put in a community land trust and are unsatisfied with the amount of affordable housing proposed at the site.

The deal is with 32BJ SEIU and will provide union jobs for service workers (not construction workers). The union says it is "the largest property services workers union in the country."

"We are proud to work with 32BJ to make the revitalization of the Bedford-Union Amory a win-win for residents and workers in the Crown Heights community," Don Capoccia, principal at BFC Partners, said in a press release announcing the union partnership. "Our long-term partnership with 32BJ will also provide local residents with new pathways to the middle class for themselves and their families."

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SEE ALSO:

• Bedford-Union Armory Public Hearing In Crown Heights Draws Supporters, But Mostly Protesters
• Bedford-Union Armory Developer, Activists Disagree On How White Its Condos Will Be

Under the deal, workers at the site will include "longtime Crown Heights residents" and will provide people in the neighborhood with training needed to become "doormen, porters, janitors, security officers, superintendents and pursue other middle-class careers," according to the release.

"Our shared commitment to revitalize the Bedford-Union Armory will bring family-sustaining jobs to Crown Heights and empower hardworking families," said Kyle Bragg, secretary-treasurer of 32BJ SEIU, said in the press release. "We are excited to collaborate with BFC Partners on a local training program that will help even more Crown Heights residents gain good jobs and career opportunities."

New York Communities For Change, a large activist group that has been vocal in its opposition to the project, was not impressed by the deal.

The group will participate in a large rally and march on Wednesday, starting at Ft. Greene Park and heading to City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo's office.

"The simple fact is that BFC is planning on building a project that will displace Crown Heights residents and is planning on using non-union labor to do so, putting workers' lives needlessly at risk. But Laurie Cumbo continues to stand with these greedy outside developers and is going against the demands of her constituents," Vaughn Armor, an 18-year resident of Crown Heights and member of New York Communities for Change, told Patch in an emailed statement.

"This project is based on gentrification, and nothing that the developer has promised changes the fact that the result will be more long-time residents forced out while newer, wealthier white residents will be moving in to take their place."

In a statement emailed to Patch via a spokeswoman, Cumbo told Patch: "While I support the mighty members of 32BJ and a unionized workforce, the lack of truly affordable housing and luxury condominiums that are not reflective of my community cause me to withhold my support of this project."

Ede Fox, who announced she will be running for Cumbo's seat in September, told Patch on Monday that "whatever is ultimately built here should always use union labor."

"But that doesn’t discount that the project isn’t being built with union labor," Fox said. "That is a heck of a lot of jobs, and it is a lot of money, and it really would make a difference to this community. And those jobs are available."

Image via BFC Partners.