Earlier this week, Laborers Local 1010 LECET testified before the New York City Council Committee on Park and Recreation to call out City Parks troubling procurement practices. Griffin’s Landscaping and Dragonetti Brothers now control more than half of all active street tree planting contracts. Both companies have histories of misconduct that should disqualify them from City business, yet despite these violations, both continue to profit from taxpayer dollars while responsible, law-abiding contractors are overlooked. Taxpayer dollars should never go to contractors with criminal convictions – ye, Parks continues to award multi-million-dollar street tree contracts to companies whose principals have pled guilty to fraud and corruption. The New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council submitted testimony calling for an end to current and pending contracts with these contractors, as well as better oversight going forward. The NewsGuild of NY, Daily News Union and the Labor Council also testified before the Committee on Civil Service and Labor this week in support of the Too Tough to Die Resolution (#1015-2025) that was introduced earlier this year by Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, condemning Alden Global Capital cuts and managerial hostility towards Unionized Daily News Staff and calling on the hedge fund to reach a contract deal with the newspaper’s Union.

Watch Video Of That Hearing Here & Read More About The Resolution And The Daily News Union's Fight For A Fair Contract Here!