Earlier today, the developers of the big Essex Crossing project announced an agreement with the building workers’ union, 32BJ SEIU, to hire its members for up to 80 positions in the new mixed use complex alongside the Williamsburg Bridge. Part of the deal includes a job training program through the Lower East Side Employment Network.
But the network, a partnership among seven neighborhood non-profit organizations and Community Board 3, has a larger role in local hiring at Essex Crossing. Michael Zisser, a founding member of the LES Employment Network, tells us all parties will have signed a Memorandum of Understanding today or tomorrow to make the arrangement official.
The agreement establishes the LES Employment Network as a designated “community partner” with the city’s Economic Development Corp. and the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) for Essex Crossing hiring. The city will be responsible for telling the local network when conversations are beginning with Essex Crossing tenants and passing on information about available positions. SBS and the LES Employment Network will “conduct local outreach” to identify qualified job applicants within the community. Network staff will also pre-screen applicants.
The Essex Crossing developers are obligated to use the HireNYC Program, which connects low-income job applicants with economic development projects. Jobs will be listed through the Workforce1 website, which is run by Small Business Services.
Essex Crossing is expected to create 1600 permanent jobs. Groundbreaking is scheduled this coming summer. The LES Employment Network is a consortium made up of University Settlement, Henry Street Settlement, Grand Street Settlement, GOLES, The Door, the Chinese American Planning Council and the Career Mobility Partnership.
