Federal Realty: Hire union labor and local workers at Assembly Sq.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) the developer of Assembly Sq. is choosing a general contractor for a huge 448-unit apartment building on Parcel 6.

Although FRIT has not yet selected a contractor, it had initiatlly planned to use a non-union firm. That would mean workers receiving sub-standard wages and few, if any benefits.

A letter from "Good Jobs Somerville" signed by more than 75 residents sent to FRIT manager Don Briggs on Dec. 1, urged using a union contractor because, "Local Somerville residents can only be assured of a genuinely fair opportunity to work on this project if it is awarded to a union contractor that is required to predominately source workers from the local area union hiring halls. Union contractors also invest in meaningful apprenticeship training programs that lead to lasting careers in the building trades. Conversely, "open shop" contractors operate under no such requirements and routinely recruit low-wage, under-trained workers from elsewhere.

"A decision to build such a large project with non-union workers from outside our city will send a clear message that Federal is not a responsible corporate neighbor and is focused exclusively on the bottom line at the expense of Somerville residents," the letter emphasized.

The letter was signed by Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 1 Alderman Matthew McLaughlin, Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang and State Representative Denise Provost. Other similar letters were also sent to Briggs signed by over 100 Somerville members of the carpenters and electrical workers' unions.

FRIT and all of the businesses in Assembly Sq. could not succeed without enormous support from all levels of government: municipal, state, and federal. That support is conditioned on those businesses adhering to the high standards of organized labor. All of our elected representatives have consistently made it clear that development at Assembly Sq. should be done in a way that supports family-sustaining wages, with training and benefits to create opportunities for the entire region -- especially Somerville residents.