High Line to officially reopen with
limited capacity on July 16
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
The High Line will welcome
visitors back on a
limited basis as of today
(Thursday) as New York City
slowly bounces back from the
pandemic.
On July 16, the High Line
will reopen to the public with
limited capacity. Entrance is
free, but guests must reserve a
time entry pass, which gives you
a 15-minute window of entry, on
the High Line website. The park
will be open daily from noon to
8 p.m.
Time entry passes are currently
available through July
26. An additional two weeks
of passes will be available on
July 20. A limited number of
day-of timed-entry passes may
be available to walk-up visitors,
but reserving a timed-entry
pass online will reduce your
wait time.
The northern end of High Line Park at Hudson Yards.
All guests must wear a mask
or a face covering within the
park and must be six feet apart
from other guests. The only
entrance that will be open is
at the corner of Gansevoort
and Washington Streets, with
all stairs north of Gansevoort
Street are exit-only. Elevators
at Gansevoort, 14th, and 23rd
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
Streets are accessible to those
with mobility access needs, with
a timed-entry reservation.
For more information, visit
thehighline.org.
Construction firm tied to Hudson Yards
settles sex harass case with AG James
BY MARK HALLUM
It’s all in the name for this
company.
For 18 former employees of
Trade Off – referred to colloquially
as a “body shop” – the hell
they have endured fi nally comes
with a settlement after a lawsuit
from state Attorney General
Letitia James.
Now, the Long Island-based
construction company will be
strapped with a monitor as well
for four years of sexual harassment
of employees and gender
discrimination in the workforce
against primarily women of
color, according to the AG. The
investigation also found the company
guilty of retaliating against
workers who spoke out against
misconduct.
Specifi cally, workers say they
were subjected to quid pro quo
harassment from managers in exchange
for better pay or overtime.
“The reality is that over the
years, Trade Off has maintained a
toxic working environment where
employees were mistreated,
silenced, ignored and sometimes
wrongfully terminated,” James
said. “Let this be a lesson to
construction companies and employers
in general who think they
can harass and take advantage of
staff, it will not be tolerated.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trade Off has provided work
to projects within Hudson Yards,
according to Tamir Rosenblum
of the Mason Tenders’ District
Council of Greater New York,
and many of the staff provided
for to projects were formerly incarcerated
folks who needed to
maintain employment in order
to maintain their freedom; hence
the Trade Off?
As such, the survivors claimed
they were paid minimum wage
and denied overtime on top of
endemic sexually harassment.
PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM
Body shops, as Trade Off is
referred to as, are known to
provide non-union labor for
projects. While not all Trade Off
employees were unrepresented,
but the union was involved
in condemning the treatment
of non-union laborers of the
company. Body Shops are also
known for extremely low pay for
workers, something Tierra Williams,
one of the survivors, said
was not enough after taxes and
healthcare costs to help keep their
head above water.
“This is big work, Hudson
Yards was where Tierra
worked… Hudson Yards, they
were a prime user of Trade Off,”
Rosenblum said. “It also brings
attention to how we treat our
formerly incarcerated citizens.
Trade Off won Employer of the
year award from an organization
called the Center for Employment
Opportunities in 2016. Nobody
should be winning awards giving
this kind of work.”
Trade Off has agreed to employ
an outside monitor for the
next three years and they will be
required to piece together sexual
harassment guidelines.
Trade Off could not be
reached for comment.
Uptick in new
coronavirus
cases traced
to some
Manhattan
neighborhoods
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
New coronavirus cases among
young adults in the city
have been traced back to
wealthier neighborhoods in Manhattan
and Brooklyn, city offi cials said
on July 14.
Apart from that, the city is unable to
fully explain the reason for the surge
mostly occurring in young adults. On
Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters
that an increase in new cases
was occurring in 30-somethings but
that is particularly worried about cases
showing up in New Yorkers between
the ages of 20 and 29.
During the fi rst week of June, the
city reported about 26 cases for every
100,000 people between the ages of 20
and 29. That number jumped to close
to 35 the week of June 27.
Senior Advisor for Public Health Dr.
Jay Varma told reporters that a lack of
a connection between cases suggests
that the increase is merely the result
of more New Yorkers are moving
throughout the fi ve boroughs, city
predicted that up to 700,000 people
returning to the workforce during
Phase 1 and 2 or reopening alone, and
socializing outdoors.
“It really emphasizes the importance
of strengthening those messages of
wearing face coverings, staying away
from large gatherings, keeping social
distance and observing good hygiene,”
said Varma.
There are over 18,700 confi rmed
deaths in New York City as a result of
contracting the virus and the number
of confi rmed cases has now reached
216, 468, according to city data.
Data also shows that the poor neighborhoods
with large Black and Latino
populations had the highest concentration
cases and deaths for the majority
of the pandemic so far.
Tuesday’s announcement shifts that
paradigm and, according to Varma,
serves as a reminder that the city
and state will constantly be at risk of
new cases being imported from other
states.
4 July 16, 2020 Schneps Media
/thehighline.org
