Laborers Local 1010 LECET and Training Fund Team Up with Council Member Nantasha Williams to Finish Repairing Hurricane Ida Damage in Cambria Heights

Following the devastation of Hurricane Ida, the community of Cambria Heights, Queens lost a local landmark on the corner of 222nd Street and 115th Avenue. The dual archways ornamenting the sidewalks of 222nd Street are beautiful public artwork that predates most of the homeowners on the block. Unfortunately, a violent storm battered the aged archways until the eastern archway collapsed in 2021; local residents believe the structural stability of the archways became questionable in 2012 when the same archway saw damage during Superstorm Sandy. Luckily when the infrastructure came down in 2021 no one was hurt but the community lost a treasured possession.

Following the election of local residents in 2021, Council Member Nantasha Williams’ neighbors turned to her office for support in reconstructing this landmark. Unfortunately, after much research into ownership, the archways were not claimed by the City of New York or any other existing institution. Therefore, its repair needed expert help from craftspeople that did not need a contract with an owner to get the job done. Council Member Williams turned to the Laborers’ Union: Local 1010 LECET and the Laborers’ Local 1010 Training Fund for help arranging for this repair work due to their skills as tradespeople.

Laborers’ Local 1010 was chartered by the Laborers’ International Union of North America in 1937. For over eighty years, they have been one of the primary forces on New York City’s largest and most recognizable road-building and highway projects. Laborers Local 1010 LECET conduct roadwork, asphalt milling and paving, removal, formsetting, and finishing of sidewalks and curbs, installation of all types of paving blocks, specialty surfaces, or playground equipment. The union is employed with contractors who also work in NYC schools, parks, athletic fields and playgrounds. The Laborers' Local 1010 Apprentice, Skill Improvement & Training Fund ensures that all their members are New York State and New York City OSHA-certified.

“As a union, it’s our duty to not only help our members, but to support the communities where our members work and live. When Laborers’ Local 1010 was called on to rebuild a long-standing community archway that was destroyed by Hurricane Ida, we saw it as an opportunity to give back. It was a collaborative effort with our Training Department contributing their skills and our Labor Management Fund, 1010 LECET, donating the materials to get the job done. We are pleased to bring the community members of Cambria Heights a small piece of what was lost during the terrible storm.” said Laborers’ Local Union 1010 President & Training Director, Armando Valeriano. Read more here!