Posts tagged New York Harbor
Hochul wins fight to create anti-mob group aimed at NYC waterfront
April 19, 2024 // Like the prior comission, it will continue to conduct critical investigations into organized crime in the Port of New York, as well as ensure fair hiring practices that bar discrimination. It will conduct background checks and license companies and people working in the cargo business at the port. The commission will have the power to oust employees from the workforce who are found to have engaged in serious criminality and other violations.
NY dock workers urge lawmakers to sink Hochul’s new waterfront commission
January 29, 2024 // Hochul proposed the new waterfront unit for New York’s side of the harbor to replace the prior Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, a bi-state agency founded in 1953 by a Congressionally authorized compact between New York and New Jersey. But the bi-state agency dissolved last year after New Jersey pulled out after 70 years, saying it was a relic that was impeding port business. Empire State officials sued New Jersey to keep the bi-state commission intact — saying anti-corruption enforcement remained essential — but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Garden State had a legal right to sever the contract.
Who will control New Jersey’s ports now that the state has withdrawn from Waterfront Commission?
August 17, 2023 // The commission’s death was a triumph for Gov. Phil Murphy, whose administration took the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, and his allies in the International Longshoremen’s Association, the maritime labor union that has controlled hiring at the port for decades. In late July, Murphy traveled to the union’s international convention in Hollywood, Fl. to celebrate the victory and salute the man he calls a “dear friend” and “partner in growing the New Jersey economy,” ILA President Harold J. Daggett. “I am happy to report that as of last Monday, the commission has been officially dissolved,” said Murphy, addressing more than 1,000 cheering union members assembled in the grand ballroom of The Diplomat Beach Resort. “Now we can finally begin to turn the page, and together, I look forward to starting a new chapter at our ports.” Murphy’s speech came a day after a profanity-laced address by Daggett, who promised a “painful” comeuppance for union foes and companies that would attempt to replace workers with automation. He vowed to cripple port commerce next year if the union’s contract demands aren’t met. “Mark my words! There’s going to be an explosion,” Daggett said. “Someone must take the bull by the horns, and that’s me… Don’t f–k with the maritime unions around the world. We will shut you down!”