July 23, 2016
By Joe Maniscalco
New York, NY – On this week’s episode of LaborPress’ “Blue Collar Buzz” airing Sunday night at 9 p.m. on AM 970 The Answer, we’re focusing on the shocking sentencing in the Harco Construction case, the ongoing strike at New Jersey’s Trump Taj Mahal Casino and the grand opening of a new healthcare facility at 52 Duane Street catering directly to working people. We’ll also weigh in on some RNC madness.
After being found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in the 2015 worksite death of Carlos Moncayo, family, friends and labor advocates throughout the city were hoping that a stiff sentence against Harco Construction would send a much needed warning to other unscrupulous outfits presently playing it fast and loose with workers’ lives.
Instead, what they got earlier this month was a conditional discharge and an order to fund a Public Service Announcement, which Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater NY President Gary LaBarbera quickly called a “travesty.” Harco Construction, meanwhile, immediately declared it would not even fund the PSA , and the whole case is heading back to court on December 16.
Santos Rodriguez, director of Community Affairs & Strategic Initiatives for the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater NY, says that the kind of cavalier attitude Harco Construction has shown in the face of Moncayo’s death demonstrates that the company, and others like it, have “no value or care for a human life.”
That said, Rodriguez also explains why he thinks the conviction of Harco Construction on charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, is still a “huge victory” for the many men and women working on dangerous construction sites throughout the city.
Working men and women in New Jersey have been striking against the Trump Taj Mahal Casino for the last four weeks. And on this episode of “Blue Collar Buzz,” we hear from LaborPress’ own Steve Wishnia who’s been covering it from the start. In short, Donald Trump’s enduring legacy where he makes money “and everybody else loses” is being writ large in New Jersey.
The Republican presidential nominee’s fingerprints are all over the desperation casino workers now face as they battle current owner — and Trump pick for U.S. Treasury Secretary — Carl Icahn. Want to know how working men and women will fare under a Donald Trump (choke) presidency? Just look at the picket lines in New Jersey.
Across the river In New York City, Emblem Health is talking about better ways of caring for working men and women’s welfare. In an exclusive interview with CEO Karen Ignagni, we get the low-down on the debut of AdvantageCare Physicians Express at 52 Duane Street.
Opened earlier this week and located near Foley Square, the new hi-tech health facility is being touted as a comprehensive and convenient way for city workers to better safeguard their health. With its cutting-edge diagnostic tools and ongoing wellness programs, AdvantageCare Physicians Express is positioning itself as a critical resource for both early detection and peace of mind.
There wasn’t a lot of serenity or even basic level of mental health displayed at this week’s Republican National Convention. Instead, anger, idiocy and hostility, reverberated throughout the hallowed of Cleveland’s Quick Loans Arena — but not much intelligence. And on this week’s “Blue Collar Buzz,” we talk a little bit about how it all went down.
LaborPress’ “Blue Collar Buzz” airs every Sunday night on AM970 The Answer from 9 to 10 p.m. This week’s episode, as well as every other episode of LaborPress’ “Blue Collar Buzz” is also available on demand at www.am970theanswer.com.
