The huge modular construction project in Brooklyn, NY will feature 15 buildings with B2, the 32 story modular residence, beginning to be built. Read More
What is interesting is that the unions who are very powerful in NYC fought for their members to build the project using traditional construction. They lost that battle and agreed to work inside a climate controlled building manufacturing the modules for not only B2 but also for the rest of the project.
This is just more proof that modular construction is beginning to win over converts every year. Now we only have to wait for the Toll Brothers, Ryan Homes and others to see the light and our industry will kick butt in both the residential and commercial sides of new construction.
Gary La Barbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades
Council, was interviewed by the New York Times and explained why his union
agreed to help build Atlantic Yards. Talk about putting on a happy face while
explaining why union members are making less building modules.
Excerpt from the NYT article of 11/27/12:
Last week, Mr. Ratner reached an agreement in principle with
the city’s construction unions. The unions had expected Atlantic Yards to be a
conventional project, through which a carpenter could earn $85 an hour in wages
and benefits.
Gary La Barbera, president of the Building and Construction
Trades Council, acknowledged that the unions had lost ground to nonunion
residential contractors in recent years and were largely absent from the
affordable housing field.
Under the new agreement, Mr. La Barbera said union factory
workers would earn $55,000 a year, 25 percent less than the average union
construction worker. But, he said, the trade-off is that the factory worker
will work steady hours throughout the year, regardless of the weather.
“We see this as an opportunity to get into markets we’re not
in,” Mr. La Barbera said. We can’t ignore an emerging industry. We see it as
creating more job opportunities in residential construction.”
