Construction unions held a rally at Ground Zero today, in hopes of jumpstarting progress at the site. While the president of one union tells the NY Times, "We’re not taking sides or assigning blame. We’re making a public statement on behalf of the building trades that we’re ready to build them." This Friday is the deadline for the (latest) rebuilding schedule.
Still, a union official suggests to the NY Times that the unions were encouraged by developer Larry Silverstein, who is currently sparring with the Port Authority over the fate of what buildings might emerge and who will pay for them. Silverstein's company, though, denies being behind the rally, but did say, "It’s hardly news that we support accelerating the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, which would create thousands of union construction jobs."
And yesterday, a construction worker was injured at Ground Zero, falling 14 feet from the under-construction Freedom Tower, or, as it's officially known, One World Trade Center. According to the Daily News, the Port Authority "dispatched its own police and emergency responders, who reached [Jose] Jerez 'within a minute or two' of his fall, said spokesman Steve Coleman. The first FDNY unit to reach Ground Zero, Engine 10, arrived at the site's northern end, along Vesey St., but was not permitted entry by the Port Authority, FDNY sources said." The FDNY was eventually able to assist with transporting Jerez to Bellevue, but apparently other FDNY units that arrived on the north side were "kept at bay" as well.
