Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023.Last year, 22 New York City construction workers were killed while on the job, according to newly released federal data from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration shared with Gothamist. And three deaths occurred just last month.
The law was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul just days before the end of last year. Although advocates were happy the law was finally signed, they complained that it’s watered down. “Not only is it rare to get a conviction, it's still rare for the case to be investigated by prosecutors,” said Florence. “My heart cannot go on, but I know it has to for our children,” said Bonelli-Samuel. She was on the phone with her husband Lindon Samuel, 57, just hours before he was crushed to death by an excavator bucket while workingSamuel got a job as a laborer for Joy Construction in April 2022 after being a stay-at-home dad for two years during the pandemic to care for his 3-year-old son, Shane.
“What he complained about is they hired people who didn't have skills and didn't know how to use a hammer and a nail. So he was doing their job plus his,” she said.Sheneka Bonelli-Samuel Non-union companies account for most construction worker injuries and deaths in the city, according to the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health. Federal data shows that at least 17 of the nearly two-dozen construction deaths last year occurred at non-union sites.
I don't think they should allow non union labor in construction