Building tension builds between Baker, Walsh
Pols on opposite sides of construction ban, with workers stuck in the middle
Some miffed Boston construction workers say Mayor Marty Walsh’s longstanding union ties are partially to blame for an ongoing construction ban halting at least 97 Hub projects and sparking an unexpected political rift with Gov. Charlie Baker.
Walsh, they say, is being harder on construction unions because he doesn’t want to be accused of political favoritism. The Dorchester pol first joined a labor union in 1988 and had served as a leader in the Building Trades Council until he decided to run for mayor in 2013.
“Everyone is frustrated and feel they’re being singled out because he’s ‘one of us,’ ” said one union official. “He sought nobody’s advice and local unions overnight went from full employment to 70% to 95% unemployment.”
Walsh was the first mayor of a major city to order a construction shut-down March 16. Somerville and Cambridge enacted similar moratoriums shortly after. The entire state of Pennsylvania has shut down its projects, but construction sites remain open in New York, California and Illinois.
But Mayor Walsh emphasized his commitment is to Boston residents’ safety yesterday when asked about the extended ban.
“The workers who work on those sites are as prone to contracting the coronavirus as anyone else,” Walsh told reporters.
Baker, meanwhile, began pushing Wednesday to reopen Massachusetts’ construction sites under new health standards to prevent spreading the virus. He’s ordered building sites to close down for one day Friday to enact the guidelines, which include more frequent hand-washing and forced temperature screenings for employees working in confined spaces.
The guidelines also ask all employees to wear cut-resistant gloves and clean all high-contact surfaces at least twice a day.
Baker had issued a letter Wednesday defining construction workers as essential and asking cities and towns to lift their work bans, but Walsh doubled down yesterday.
“Construction is still not allowed in the city of Boston. The workers who work on those sites are as prone to contracting the coronavirus as anyone else,” Walsh told reporters on a conference call Thursday.
The decision clashes with yet another political ally — Baker. The Hub mayor has normally maintained a close political friendship with the governor, but Baker seemed to back away from the dustup during a press conference Thursday.
“Boston and several other municipalities have said — and it’s a fair point — that they don’t believe they’re in a position at this point to do the work that would be associated with ensuring that those guidelines are being adhered to on the ground on all the projects,” Baker said, adding he’s “very sympathetic,” to Walsh.