Vote to decide whether some Atlantic Yards builders join new union with reputed mob ties

By RICH CALDER 

A new labor organization with reputed mob ties is attempting to represent 700 rank-and-file union members working on some of New York’s biggest development projects, include Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards and Manhattan’s Hudson Yards.

The Amalgamated Carpenters and Joiners Union is pushing itself as a viable alternative to the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

About 700 of the District Council’s dock builders will be asked this week to decide by mail ballot which union they want to be affiliated with. Besides performing pier work, dock builders also do underpinning, pile driving and foundation work for non-waterfront projects like Atlantic Yards.

Michael Bilello, the District Council’s newly elected leader, said the vote should be a no-brainer in his organization’s favor, considering Amalgamated leaders were previously booted from his organization over “corruption.”

"It is my hope that our members understand what is truly at stake with this week's vote and send a resounding message: corruption and the mob will not be tolerated by our union," said Bilello in a statement today.

"This vote will set the stage for the next decade of work in New York, and our members have a very clear choice: reform or corruption. I encourage every single member to get educated and get involved. This is a battle for the soul of our union."

Amalgamated’s president is Angelo Bisceglie Jr., a lawyer with a long history of representing organized crime families. He did not return a message seeking comment.

According to its website, Amalgamated describes itself as “a union that doesn’t just talk. We are a progressive union that will enable union carpenter contractors to be competitive. Our actions will show that there will be true labor management cooperation for the betterment of the workers and their dedicated contractors.”

In December, a court-appointed review officer issued a scathing report cautioning that organized crime, "[p]redominately through the Genovese family (though other families continue to have interest and “turf”) remains active in its efforts to corruptly influence the District Council and particularly some of its local unions."

If Amalgamated were to win the vote, it could lead to members being "susceptible to the will and influence of racketeers,” the report says.