In a battle over contracts to build green roofs for Chicago's public buildings, landscapers have come out on top.
"The rulings 'hopefully will put an end to the roofers' efforts to claim the installation of vegetative green roof systems for its members,' said Ken Jenero, an employment lawyer at Holland & Knight who represents the Moore and Pedersen landscape companies.
But the controversy is far from settled, said Joe McDevitt, chairman of the Chicagoland Roofing Council, a group of union-affiliated contractor firms. He said there are several issues, including liability, that are important to building owners but are not addressed by the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board]'s rulings.
'If a leak in the roof develops after the landscaping is installed and it's not installed by a roofer, who does the owner turn to?' McDevitt said. 'It's one of many complicated issues involving green roofs.'"
Read the full story: Green days for landscapers in roofing labor fight
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
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MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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