Carpenters Protest Outside NYO’s Stambaugh Project

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Representatives of the union representing carpenters say they want to sit down with officials from NYO Property Group to discuss wages paid to workers on the $32 million renovation and restoration of the historic Stambaugh building.

Union members were in front of the south and east faces of the downtown landmark, which NYO is converting into a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, holding signs and handing out fliers. A total of seven union members were stationed at the two sites late Thursday morning.

NYO is employing Greenheart Companies LLC, Boardman, on the project. According to the flier, Greenheart doesn’t pay its carpenters the wages and benefits standard for Northeast Ohio.

Representatives of NYO and Greenheart were unavailable for comment Thursday.

Dan Siembida, representative at the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, said he would like to sit down with NYO officials for a discussion. The protest is “an awareness campaign,” he said. “We just want to let the public know that NYO Property Group doesn’t pay their [laborers] a standard wage.”

According to the flier, NYOs “failure to have standards for compliant contractors working on its complex will result in our community’s loss of consumer dollars since workers will have fewer dollars to spend.”

NYO’s decision also shows “little regard for the use of local area standards compliant contractors or local tradespeople and – whether intentional or not – is NOT a positive contribution to our community’s economic welfare,” the handout stated.

How long the informational pickets will remain depends on what kind of reaction they get, Jim Conrad, business agent with Carpenters & Joiners Union Local 171, said.

“If nothing changes, I could see us being here a couple months,” he said.

Last week, authorities raided and seized documents at NYO’s offices and the home of developer Dominic Marchionda. The investigation is believed to be related to how city water and wastewater funds provided to Marchionda’s various corporate entities to help finance his development of the Flats at Wick, Erie Terminal and Wick Tower projects. The buildings contain apartments primarily leased by students at Youngstown State University.

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