New York Gateway Tunnel

The short version for a brother deciding tonight: the Gateway Hudson Tunnel is announcing $125 a day per diem, the work runs under a union PLA that beat a federal court challenge, and it's a ~$16 billion job boring a brand-new rail tunnel under the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan. This is heavy-civil and marine work, dispatched out of the hall. Here's the real read before you pack the truck. Is it really union? Gateway has the strongest union proof on our whole board — and it's not a press release, it's a court ruling. The Hudson Tunnel work runs under a Project Labor Agreement between the Gateway Development Commission and the Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council. A non-union contractor took that PLA to federal court to break it — and lost. The judge upheld the agreement, citing a 2024 New Jersey Supreme Court decision that had already backed a PLA against the same outfit. When a contractor fights your union agreement in court and the court sides with the union, that's about as locked as it gets. The signatory locals are named: Laborers 472 and 172, Operating Engineers 825, Iron Workers 11, Dockbuilders 1556, Teamsters 560, IBEW 164, and the Masons. What it pays The announced per diem is $125/day — and "announced" is the word that matters. No brother has confirmed that number from the ground to us yet, so get your rate in writing from the hall before you take the dispatch. Wages run the negotiated PLA scale plus fringe through your local. Brothers on this job — drop the real number in the dryshack below. That's how we keep each other honest. What you should know going in This job's had funding turbulence — a federal freeze in early 2026 nearly stalled it, and Laborers Local 472 saw nearly 100 brothers laid off during the shutdown before the money got restored. It's moving again, with tunnel boring expected to start on the NJ side and two big contracts coming. But ask the hall about the funding picture before you commit a long haul to it — it's real union work, just keep your eyes open on the timeline. Where to stay Metro NY / North Jersey is your base, and the work spans Manhattan to Weehawken, Secaucus, and North Bergen. No remote-camp problem here — the problem is cost. This is the most expensive metro in the country; rooms, rentals, parking, and tolls all run high. Look at the NJ side (Secaucus, North Bergen, Jersey City) for lodging that won't eat your whole per diem. Options near the job are linked on the project page. Best eats nearby On the Jersey side you're close to some of the best working-man food in the country — the Ironbound in Newark for Portuguese and Spanish, the Hudson County diners that never close for the night-shift crews. Tell a brother what's good near your gate in the comments. Is the contractor fair? How's safety? This is what you want to know before you drive — and only brothers on the ground can tell you straight. We don't print a contractor's reputation off a press release. So, brothers who've worked at Gateway, drop it in the dryshack. Is the GC straight with the per diem? Pushing safety or pushing the schedule? How's the steward situation? Your word carries because you've been on it. That's the whole point of UnionBoomer — boots on the ground, telling it real. Protect the work — the free Print Shop Here's the part bigger than any one job. UnionBoomer.com has a free Print Shop built into the Dry Shack. Any union member can fire off pro-union letters — to elected officials, to non-union shops, to brothers working open-shop jobs nearby — letter campaigns at scale to protect and grow union membership. It costs you nothing. Gateway proves the point that the PLA held because the union showed up and fought for it. Finding the union job is step one; keeping the work union is the long game. That's how we Make America Union Again — one letter, one brother at a time. The long-haul read A new tunnel under the Hudson is a multi-year, generational build. For a brother who can handle the NY/NJ cost of living, it's long-dispatched union work backed by an agreement that's already survived a court fight. Watch the funding, but the union footing is as solid as it comes. Brothers on the Gateway / Hudson Tunnel job — what's the real per diem, which package, and is the GC straight? Drop your intel in the dryshack below. And while you're there, fire off a letter from the free Print Shop to a brother on a non-union job nearby — that's how we put union work in front of him. Boots on the ground.