The New York Post reports It’s typical New York lunacy. An innovation that reduces the risk of deadly accidents is blocked by a union intent on protecting its monopoly and high wages.
Skypicker inventor Dan Mooney, invested his life savings to develop an innovative crane tailored to the city’s tight spaces.
Two deadly 2008 tower-crane disasters and February’s fatal crawler-crane collapse show the perils of using these massive machines on crowded city streets.
Mooney’s smaller Skypicker provides a safer, cheaper alternative for jobs up to midsize towers.
In 2012, the city OK’d the first Skypicker. The crane helped put up the 34-story Hilton Garden Inn in Midtown in just six months.
But the crane-operators’ union went ballistic. Local 14-14B started picketing jobs that used the crane. And somebody used pull with the Buildings Department, too: Its inspectors were soon regulars on those sites.
Yes, the same Buildings Department that failed to prevent those big-crane disasters.
In 2013, the department revoked all Sky-picker permits, and is still blocking this proven technology.
We get it: The union’s upset that smaller cranes mean fewer jobs. But Local 14 members make more than $300,000 a year — some, over half a million.
And tower-crane contracts are the definition of featherbedding: Developers typically must hire crane operators, relief operators, master mechanics and oilers — whose only job is starting the cranes each morning.
Hey, Mr. Mayor: These cranes would make it cheaper to put up affordable housing. How about standing up against wealthy special interests — and for public safety?
At least get on record as wanting the Sky-picker back in the field before the next crane disaster.
