Catherwood LibraryILR School

The Tompkins-Cortland Building and Construction Trades Council and the Tompkins County Workers’ Center have launched a campaign to bring awareness to a number of issues surrounding the ongoing Maplewood Apartments Redevelopment Project, which was supposed to have been completed early last month. The graduate student housing commissioned by the university is under contract with Memphis-based EdR Trust. Only about ten percent of the onsite construction workers are local union members, a number that has gradually increased under pressure to finish the construction on time but still far lower than most Cornell projects. Signs that read #DoesCornellCare are planted throughout the construction area, accompanied by a truck with a neon sign with the same slogan. A corresponding website and social media campaign have also been launched. With a number of other high-profile construction projects being discussed, including the North Campus Residential Initiative and East Hill Village, advocates hope to push Cornell into utilizing more local union labor on future projects.