\n Posted on: October 23, 2024, 03:53h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: October 23, 2024, 03:53h.\n <\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nA labor union plans a Thursday rally on the West Side of Manhattan to support the proposed $12 billion development of the Western Rail Yards by Related Cos. and Wynn Resorts \u2014 a project opposed by many of the neighborhood\u2019s affluent residents.<\/p>\n The Building and Construction Trades Council scheduled an event dubbed \u201cWe Build\u201d for 3:30 p.m. Thursday at 555 West 18th Street. That location includes a portion of the High Line area. The High Line references the famous New York open area and park that some local residents believe<\/a> would be diminished if Related and Wynn are allowed to move forward.<\/p>\n Union President Gary LaBarbera doesn\u2019t see things that way. Rather, he views opposition to the Related\/Wynn plan as an example of the elites vs. the working man.<\/p>\n It is in fact the elite who serve on the High Line Board that do not want development because they believe their sunlight and view are more important than career opportunities,\u201d he wrote in a recent letter to labor groups.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One of the principal objections<\/a> to Related\u2019s plan to build several towers at the site \u2014 one of which will include the Wynn casino and bear the gaming company\u2019s name \u2014 is that those buildings would block views of the High Line.<\/p>\n Assuming the \u201cWe Build\u201d rally takes place as scheduled tomorrow, the event would occur just days after Protect the High Line, a nonprofit group opposing the Related\/Wynn project, released polling indicating<\/a> the majority of West Side residents don\u2019t want the construction to move forward.<\/p>\n A survey commissioned by the group and performed by Public Policy Polling said 56% of those questioned oppose zoning changes that would allow the planned development of Western Rail Yards possible and 70% said the towers pitched by Related would be harmful to nearby communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In his letter, LaBarbera said it\u2019s more important to create jobs for the middle-class than it is to indulge the NIMBYism (not in my backyard) of some rich folks.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe will no longer be silent and that career opportunities, pathways to the middle class are simply more important than a few minutes of shade,\u201d opined the union leader.<\/p>\n LaBarbera isn\u2019t off base in terms of framing opposition to the Related\/Wynn plan as the \u201celites vs. little guys.\u201d In 2022, the median income for the portion of Manhattan including the High Line was $145,620, or 88% above the citywide average. The heavily white Democratic area also has residential property sale prices that far exceed the borough average.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Related and Wynn said their project would be a boon for the local economy, creating 35,000 construction jobs<\/a> and 5,000 permanent union roles should the gaming venue be approved. LaBarbera said that\u2019s what matters and High Line residents need to remember New York is a city of skyscrapers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a vertical City. We must continue to build. We must continue creating opportunities for our City\u2019s residents, including residents of this community, to earn a middle-class lifestyle. We must raise our voices and be heard,\u201d he wrote in a letter to Protect the High Line.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"High](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/HL-858x572.jpg\")
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Interesting Timing for Pro-Wynn NY Casino Rally<\/h2>\n
Elites Vs. Little Guys<\/h2>\n