N.Y. contributes to U.S. industry’s decline
beat. You need to price,’ ” Griggs said.
To get a slice of LaGuardia, Trinity had to lower its bid three times, he said.
“I get that this is business and this is how it works — but what happens is that your profitability goes up in smoke,” he said.
Trinity offers its 175 employees a share of its profits above a certain percentage, Griggs said. But the company hasn’t met its mark in three years.
Instead, Griggs had to downsize in 2016. Trinity cut $200,000 a month in expenses and laid off 10 people.
The fourth project Griggs lost nearly sent him “over the edge,” he said. close the
He bid $8 million to fabricate and deliver 5,700 tons of pipe to the Port Authority for an overhaul of two Hudson River piers connected to the Holland Tunnel.
But the contractor, Trevcon, instead went with Turkish steel. Trevcon is also using steel coils from China and Eastern Europe, the Port Authority confirmed.
“The reality is, nobody from Turkey can beat my price when I’m shipping from a yard 65 miles away from the Hudson River unless the steel is subsidized,” said Griggs.
One American pipe company got a small sliver of the work — providing 180 tons of 18-inch pipe, which is a smaller size than Griggs makes.
That 180 tons is a small fraction of the 5,500 tons that went foreign, Griggs noted.
The Port Authority declined to comment on the financial details of the LaGuardia or Holland Tunnel deals. According to Griggs’ calculations, the contractor saved about $750,000 by going with Turkey’s offer over his — but the cost to the U.S. job market was much higher.
“There’s a daisy-chain effect. If we had gotten this bid, we’d have bought our raw steel from a U.S. manufacturer, who would have had it shipped it to us in Missouri,” he said. “We would have made it into pipes and shipped it to Pennsylvania. From there it would be cut and trucked to the job site. All of that work for American hands won’t happen now.”
The pipes also called for a special epoxy coating — which Griggs would have farmed out to a New Jersey firm, he said.
“That will not be done in America now,” he said.
He was especially incensed by the Holland Tunnel job because he learned the contractor has plans to bring the foreign steel into the river on barges — and hold it there until needed.
“You won’t get a single bridge toll paid, or a dockhand or a stevedore employed off this — and all to save $750,000,” Griggs said.