Protests Escalate Against De Niro's Non-Union Astoria Development

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Labor leaders are escalating their protests against the use of non-union labor to build Robert De Niro's major Astoria film studio, staging an elaborate theatrical performance outside the actor's Lower Manhattan restaurant this week.

Wednesday's protest outside Tribeca Grill was the latest chapter in the controversy surrounding Wildflower Studios, a $600 million development that will construct a state-of-the-art film studio at the northern edge of Astoria.

It came weeks after a non-unionized construction firm involved in building the development abruptly closed, laying off about a dozen workers employed at Wildflower, according to labor leaders.

Featuring a fake red carpet and a staged fight between a De Niro impersonator and the rat mascot "Scabby," the event — held on the actor's 79th birthday — was led by Laborers’ Local 79, a major union that convened a previous protest outside the Astoria construction site in June.

Now, the union leaders say there is more urgency in their demands: on July 15, the company StructureTech closed permanently, laying off more than 100 workers — including up to 15 who were doing concrete work at Wildflower Studios, according to a spokesperson for the unions.

StructureTech, which had previously faced claims of racial discrimination and labor law violations, is now facing a federal lawsuit by the laid-off workers, who say they lost wages and were not given enough notice.

Labor leaders have consistently called De Niro a hypocrite, given his otherwise strong union support and a pledge by his development team to employ unionized workers once the Wildflower Studios complex opens in 2023.

Unions say the main contractor on Wildflower remains Leeding Builders Group, which has publicly billed itself as a non-union "open shop" firm.

"What should’ve been thousands of good, union jobs for Queens residents, is now another example of unchecked development in New York City where promises made are not promises kept," said Michael Prohaska, business manager of Laborers' Local 79, in a statement.

A cohort of Astoria elected officials joined this week's call for unionized labor at the project site, including State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, and Assemblymembers Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Zohran Mamdani — the latter of whom called the chosen firms "a slap in the face to how this project was presented to us, as well as to what Astoria stands for."

The studio project was spearheaded by the legendary actor, his son — the real estate broker Raphael De Niro — and the development company Wildflower LTD.

Reached for comment, the younger De Niro's real estate firm said in a statement that the actor, his son, and fellow backer Jane Rosenthal "have no direct involvement in or control over labor relations for the construction of Wildflower Studios.

"While the De Niros and Ms. Rosenthal are ardent supporters of union labor throughout New York City and plan to provide more than 1,000 union jobs at the Studio upon its completion, they have no authority to select contractors and subcontractors for the construction of the project," the De Niro Team said in an email on Wednesday.

StructureTech and Wildflower LTD did not respond to requests for comment on this week's protest.

Construction began earlier this year on the multi-building project, months after the city approved a slew of zoning changes needed to build it. During that public review process, developers promised that they would "seek union labor," according to a July 2021 document from the Queens Borough president's office, which recommended approving the project.

The "studio village" will include 11 sound stages plus other production facilities, as well as a public waterfront promenade that will run along nearby Luyster Creek.

The main studio building will be a seven-story production facility, designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group — a famed architecture firm. The 135-foot-tall building will also house cafes, offices, lounges and 150,000 square feet of solar panels, according to reports.

Previous coverage:

• Robert De Niro's Astoria Movie Studio Slammed For Nonunion Hires
  
• Astoria Movie Studio By Robert De Niro Gets City's Go-Ahead
• Actor Robert DeNiro To Buy Astoria Lot For Film Studio: Report
• De Niro Taps Starchitect To Design $400M Astoria Film Studio