A day after the Laborers’ International Union of North America filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit accusing contractors on two major Jersey City developments of stiffing workers out of more than $700,000 in wages, a lineup of local elected officials — from the mayor’s office to the City Council — is speaking out in support of the union and the more than 240 workers it represents.
Jersey City Mayor James Solomon, who joined LIUNA leaders for Tuesday’s announcement, said the developments can’t come at workers’ expense.
“Jersey City’s progress must not be built on the backs of exploited workers,” Solomon said. “When employers hide behind complex layers of labor brokers to steal wages, they aren’t just robbing vulnerable people — they are evading their fair share of taxes and cheating our entire community. We will no longer tolerate this ‘Wild West’ environment in our local construction industry.”
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy framed the lawsuit as a warning shot to bad actors across the industry, not just the two companies named in the suit.
“In Hudson County, we proudly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the hardworking men and women that build our communities,” Guy said. “Let this litigation serve as a clear warning to unscrupulous players in the construction industry: we will never tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers or the theft of hard-earned wages.”
The show of political support comes as the lawsuit — filed by LIUNA Local 3 and the Laborers’ Eastern Region Organizing Fund against general contractor AJD Construction and subcontractor Concrete Rising — seeks more than $2 million in unpaid wages and damages on behalf of workers from Kushner Companies’ One Journal Square project and Namdar Group’s 35 Cottage Street development.
Outreach by BINJE to some of the parties in the suit was not immediately returned.
There was a reaction from members of the City Council. Denise Ridley, Eleana Little, Rolando Lavarro and Jake Ephros all issued statements backing the union.
Council President Denise Ridley said the case should factor into how the city reviews future development approvals.
“When the City Council and Redevelopment Agency approve major projects, our goal is equitable growth — not exploitation,” Ridley said. “I expect developers seeking our approval to prioritize high-quality, family-sustaining careers for local residents.”
Lavarro, a councilman at-large, tied the case directly to the city’s recent budget fight.
“You cannot owe nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in unpaid wages and associated payroll taxes and expect the Jersey City government to continue greenlighting new projects,” Lavarro said. “We just had a budgetary reckoning that forced everyone to make painful decisions about our shared priorities, and, at minimum, we must ensure that development helps fund critical infrastructure, like our city schools, rather than simply lining the pockets of billionaire developers.”
