Work Ethic Is Missing in Public Works

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

In a recent letter to the Sun, Andrew Alper, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, attempted to explain the delays in the renovation of the Staten Island ferry terminals. The Whitehall project, he said, began on an overly aggressive 36-month schedule instead of a more realistic 48-month timetable. He ended the missive with these ironic words: “I am proud to say that not a single day of service was interrupted by construction.”


Not many of the 60,000 ferry passengers who pass through these terminals daily would consider Mr. Alper’s statement anything but disingenuous. Ever since the renovations began, we have been inconvenienced by lack of seating, lack of vendors, and cancellations of ferry trips, as well as bus reroutings that leave passengers farther and farther away from the terminal in Whitehall.


As one of those 60,000, I will not complain, because I still regard the ferry ride as one of the more pleasant ways to commute – provided it’s not in rush hour. What Mr. Alper may not be considering in his excuses for the budget overruns and delays, however, is that only recently have we noticed much work being done at all.


Over the past three years, we have indeed seen plenty of men walking around wearing hard hats and badges and carrying clipboards, but rarely did we see actual work going on. I’ve traveled through the terminal at different times of the day during the week and have always witnessed the men milling around, or taking coffee and smoking breaks out on the bus ramps. Some men were working – I’d know because I could hear drilling and banging – but nothing much seemed to be accomplished, except the whittling away of seating areas and conveniences.


The transit buses – numbers 15, 6, and 1 – used to come right up to the front of the terminal, but now they are distant, and disembarking ferry riders must rush to catch them as they pull away. Time and tide and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority wait for no ferry riders.


Recent reports in the Sun that the terminals are way behind schedule and way over budget are no surprise, since a construction project for government is involved. Does anyone remember the Wollman Memorial Ice Rink renovation, which lasted six years and went nowhere till Donald Trump took over and completed the work in six months? All around the city, buildings go up in record time. One can see a building frame go up and the next week, the structure’s nearly completed. If it’s a publicly financed enterprise, though, the work is soooooo slow. Why is that?


Maybe the problem is simply the failure of management to demand and maintain a good work ethic.


I’ve been watching the homes in my neighborhood being speedily renovated by a crew of immigrant workers, who barely stop for lunch. They work constantly, the sweat pouring off their foreheads. Whether the immigrants are from Mexico, Africa, or the Caribbean, they all realize that working diligently is the road to achieving the American dream.


My Albanian neighbors came to this country more than 20 years ago and, like many immigrants, pooled all their resources, cutting expenses by sharing the living expenses with their extended families. The women worked cleaning offices or homes. The men took jobs as day laborers and saved enough to start their own businesses. The last time I checked, they had bought farmland in New Jersey, and their homes here are now worth millions.


We have growing populations from Haiti, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria who work double shifts running minicabs to and from the ferry, and they are the people buying new homes throughout Staten Island. There’s no secret to their success: It’s hard work – something that some native-born Americans feel is beneath them. Maybe the idea of working hard just to pay taxes stifles a good bit of our energy, but more than likely it’s because we’ve been spoiled.


Once upon a time, most service and government agencies would have quality analysts, known as Q.I.s, who monitored employees’ performance to ensure that the work was being done efficiently. Those positions have been phased out at many companies, in some cases as a result of union objections. That’s a pity, because having someone look over your shoulder is not always such a bad thing. Mr. Alper, the Economic Development Corporation president, needs to visit the terminals in Whitehall and St. George to speed things along or, better yet, he should call Donald Trump.


The New York Sun

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