Alloy Partners With Service Employees Union, Seeks Equity Officer For 80 Flatbush

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – Alloy Development has partnered up with 32BJ SEIU, the largest property services workers union in the country, on its 80 Flatbush project in an effort to create permanent jobs with fair wages, healthcare, job training, and retirement benefits for all building maintenance and security staff.

The 80 Flatbush mixed-use development is expected to create approximately 40 permanent building service and security jobs. Alloy’s partnership with 32BJ SEIU will include hiring and training prospective employees from the surrounding communities.

“We’re glad that Alloy’s 80 Flatbush project will not only provide good jobs with benefits for working people, but that there will be a specific focus on hiring from the local community,” said Kyle Bragg, Secretary Treasurer of 32BJ SEIU. “We’re pleased to partner with Alloy on a project that should serve as a model for how to do development the right way.”

“The partnership with 32BJ made a lot of sense. In general, we’re trying to find ways to be as inclusive and fair as possible with all of the project’s opportunities and benefits,” AJ Pires, President of Alloy Development told BKLYNER. “Our agreement with 32BJ will ensure that all building service and security staff at 80 Flatbush will receive top flight benefits and training.”

Alloy is also currently seeking a candidate to fill a newly established Equity Officer position who will support the firm’s workforce efforts by setting standards for diverse hiring and contracting, and collaborating with M/WBE businesses. The Equity Officer will ensure diverse and equitable economic opportunity for all aspects of the 80 Flatbush project.

According to the job listing for the Equity Officer role, some of the initial responsibilities will include:

• Committing to inclusivity, fairness and social equality in all project outreach and benefits
• Increasing locally- and diversity‐based opportunities in project contracting and employment
• Creating long‐term sustainability of these principals

See the full job description here.

“The scale of the project affords the opportunity to put somebody’s actual job responsibilities in the realm of pushing best practices for all economic opportunities,” Pires added, “whether that be the temporary workforce, permanent workforce, or any opportunities or benefits that come out of the project.”

Regarding the newly developed role, Pires said, “It’s not something we’ve seen before and we’re excited to be able to offer that resource to the project and avoid business-as-usual for a lot of these efforts.” He’s looking forward to seeing what the interview process will be like in finding the right person for the position, “because it’s not a kind of job that exists right now.”

“We’re looking for somebody who’s aware of and connected to the local community,” Pires said of potential candidates. “That’s going to be important.” Also essential for the role— “Somebody with previous experience in a workforce related job, whether that’s on the construction side, or an economic development side, or a community task force side. Somebody who is entrepreneurial in nature and who’s going to want to push new ideas,” he added.

Located at the intersection of Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, and the Brooklyn Cultural District, 80 Flatbush will house two schools, 900 units of mixed-income housing (of which 200 will be permanently affordable), a 15,000-square‐foot cultural venue, 200,000 square feet of office space, and 40,000 square feet of retail space.

The project is scheduled to break ground in 2019.