WTC Construction Workers Are Still Boozing At Lunch

Two years ago, the eagle eyes at the NY Post spied some World Trade Center workers enjoying some alcoholic beverages during their lunch breaks, and broke the shocking news that construction workers sometimes drink on the job. And today, to their utter disbelief, the Post reports that WTC hardhats are still boozing at lunchtime at the same spots they did two years ago.

The dallie says they spotted two dozen workers go north from the site each day at about 11:45 a.m. and pack into two Murray Street watering holes— Eamonn's Irish Bar & Restaurant and Uncle Mike's—for their hourlong lunch breaks. They say most of the union workers skipped lunch in favor of beer, whiskey and vodka, while trading stories about their hazardous job: "I got hit by a two-by-four the other day, bro. It went boom...I got a concussion, bro. They wanted me to go to a hospital," they overheard one Heineken drinker, with a large bandage on the back of his bald head, say.

More than 3,000 construction workers have been hard at work at WTC in the past three years. With less than a month before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the plaza and 9/11 museum pavilion seem just about complete, and workers have reached the 78th floor of 1 World Trade Center. A Port Authority insider told the Post that they don't need any bad press right now: "This is the last thing we need. We can't have monitors for all those workers." After the initial allegations of drinking two years ago, the PA investigated and fired several workers. And PA spokesman Ron Marsico says that checks on workers have continued: "We do have a zero-tolerance policy. If we determine a worker is intoxicated on the job, we will move to terminate him, and we've done so in the past."

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By Ben Yakas in News on August 14, 2011 4:20 PM

Comments [rss]

SuperWittySmitty

What's with these people who cannot go 4 or 5 hours without pausing to drink alcohol? We're supposed to tolerate this? !-2 beers at lunch can easily = 2-3 beers, and no one who has had 3 beers should be returning to work, no matter how routine their job is. (I don't know why we have to serve alcohol on planes, either. would make it a lot less messy if we didn't- but people need to drink, I see.)

canofpeas

If they fall off a building and kill themselves because they're drunk, that's their business. Most of those guys are recreational alcoholics who can't function without a drink for more than 8 hours.

taracorinne

but then if the families sue the PA despite the fact that the employee was drunk, who is likely to win the case? the mourning family of course.

proudliberal1947

I lived in Europe for 9 years and at 10:15 Am till 10;30 Am was break and we had a beer or glass of wine, at Lunch we had another beer or glass of wine, then at 1400 Hrs we had another beer for 15 minutes. Sure do miss being with GROWNUPS and not this childish, immature American baby sh*t. OH,OH the man or woman's drinking a beer. waa,waa,waa.

edgie168

Which is why, as a whole, Europe's economy is in the shitter.

proudliberal1947

the real reason is the CROOKED and CHEATING American financial system they tried to incorporate into Europe. Please keep the facts straight. The THIEVES ,CHEATS, LIARS and CRIMINALS of this Country are the cause of this, any and everyone that is connected to our country in going down.

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Inkognita

Have you never heard of Machiavelli? I believe he even predates the existence of America, as we know it, by a few hundred years.

proudliberal1947

Yes, they have been trying to implement it since the corporate approved supreme court INSTALLED president was placed in office and then FIXED the Ballot Boxes in Ohio. they have also been trying to Install the Plutocrats, that is why the Anti American corporate OWNED republicans and the Brain Dead tea baggers have for saken their oaths of OFFICE and sworn allegiance to the Anti American corporationsn then you have the Dominionist who believe that their god is the ruler of America and they are following their gods directions that is the Idiots and Dildo bachmann, and the sellout and Brain Dead Moron perry who does not have a clue.

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whitecastlerock

Gothamist, bereft of any ideas, continually copies and pastes drivel from the NY Post.

e non

does steve dunleavy still work for the nypost? inquiring minds....

GREGORYABUTLER

For the record, construction workers don't get an hour for lunch - we get 15 minutes wash up time (11:45 - 12 noon) and a half hour for lunch (12 noon to 12:30) - although most guys don't wash up and take the whole 45 minutes for lunch.

nunya

Fine then when they sue b/c they get injured b/c they (or a co-worker) was drunk on the job, should the City just send the bills to you?

Guest

Having a beer or two with lunch doesn't equal drunk or even buzzed. Maybe you should go scour the parks for smokers to inform on.

m015094

What part of "zero tolerance" is too difficult for you to understand?

Would you allow your doctor or your airplane pilot to have a a drink or two before they work?

Guest

But thats just it - they're not doctors or airplane pilots. They're construction workers. So what part of there's a difference between "doctor" and "some guy hanging sheetrock" is too difficult to understand?

Kanger

Putting together a 110 story building is a little different from hanging sheet rock. Buzzed workers forget to tighten bolts...

taracorinne

an office working who doesn't handle serious equipment having a beer at lunch is different. Someone who handles construction equipment while high in the air should not have alcohol while on the job.

m015094

Ah, I knew that response was coming. These are guys working 1000 ft
above the street with tons of equipment. If you think that it is OK to
be operating while even slightly intoxicated, then you are just asking
for an accident to happen.

If these guys cannot make it through the day without a drink, I would suggest a little program called AA.

nunya

So, if a construction worker just had a beer or two during lunch, then poorly loaded a crane and dropped the material onto other construction workers or civilians....that is okay by your way of thinking? What about the steel worker who had a "couple" at lunch then fell from the 786th floor? Or the worker .... you get my point.