Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Wouldn't it be cheaper to move from New York City to New Jersey?
- A: New York City is infamously expensive. But currently our offices are on federally-owned property. The Request for Lease proposal requires a move to a privately-owned space. This means taking rent money that go back to the U.S. Treasury directly to a private lessor. There is no way this is cheaper for the American taxpayer. Plus the move itself is going to cost up to $2 million. Our personnel have plenty of ideas to cut rental costs significantly without having to leave communities behind. It's odd that the decision-makers never considered those ideas.
- A: New York City is infamously expensive. But currently our offices are on federally-owned property. The Request for Lease proposal requires a move to a privately-owned space. This means taking rent money that go back to the U.S. Treasury directly to a private lessor. There is no way this is cheaper for the American taxpayer. Plus the move itself is going to cost up to $2 million. Our personnel have plenty of ideas to cut rental costs significantly without having to leave communities behind. It's odd that the decision-makers never considered those ideas.
- Q: How do we know that we are moving to a privately-owned space?
- A: USACE Management has explicitly stated in multiple town halls and in their own FAQs that they were given guidance by ASA Telle to move to commercial. Also, a request for lease proposal posting on SAM.GOV automatically leaves GSA properties out of the running.
- A: USACE Management has explicitly stated in multiple town halls and in their own FAQs that they were given guidance by ASA Telle to move to commercial. Also, a request for lease proposal posting on SAM.GOV automatically leaves GSA properties out of the running.
- Q: The Agency Management says that they considered all options. Should we be contesting something they already looked into?
- A: The Union received documents through FOIA that show the opposite. Not only does their market research not show their reasoning for moving exclusively to a private lessor, the USACE management hasn't even contacted the building manager or the asset manager for the GSA at 26 Federal Plaza. Currently we are awaiting FOIA requests regarding communications between USACE management with GSA Directors and the Secretary of the Army, Adam Telle. As we have mentioned repeatedly, if they considered every option and found that New Jersey is the only feasible option, they need to show it.
- Q: Some people say the Government should act more like the private industry. Why would this move be a bad thing?
- A: The 2025 ENR top 3 design firms and contractors all have an office in Manhattan. 18 out of the top 20 design firms have an office in Manhattan. If you want to act more like the private industry, you should keep an Army Corps presence in Manhattan.
- Q: What does this move mean for our public services?
- A: Both the Union and Agency surveys show that this move would significantly increase commuting costs and time for USACE employees. Less workers mean that projects in coastal resiliency, flood protection, shipping channel management, and emergency services will be delayed and possibly cancelled altogether. This means that the government is spending more taxpayer money on an office relocation, for you to get less services.
- Q: Wait? Isn't this move just a few more stops on the PATH line or NJT line?
- A: For those who use the MTA subway, MetroNorth, or LIRR, this means another transit system to pay hundreds of dollars monthly in fares for. For those who take the bus, there are not a lot of direct bus routes to the Jersey City office locations, potentially requiring them to go to Port Authority in Manhattan only to take another form of transit out to New Jersey. Also, the PATH stations are not directly connected to any major transportation hub. This means 30 minutes of extra walking or more of extra transfers on the MTA system to even get to a PATH station.
- Q: Is this move even legal?
- A: Many legal and real estate experts say not. We are still waiting on FOIA documents to see if they followed proper regulatory and legal procedures for a high-cost real estate operation such as this.
- Q: What's wrong with New Jersey?
- A: Absolutely nothing! 40% of our bargaining unit resides in New Jersey or grew up there, and they are great public servants. But even a significant portion of them see this move resulting in longer commutes for them in certain cases and a distraction from the good work they have done on projects such as the Green Brook Sub-Basin Flood Risk Management project.
- Q: The General Services Administrator Ed Forst wrote an OP-ED claiming that Federal buildings are currently underutilized and inefficiently used (Source: GovExec). Shouldn't we be reconsidering how we use our public spaces?
- A: We should always be looking for the best value for the American taxpayer. USACE Personnel pointed out that a simple office size reduction would produce the cost savings that the decision-makers claim they want. But for some reason, they are not considering it at all. Plus, the data that Administrator Forst cited to make that claim was from a House of Representatives report several years prior to the Return-to-Office Executive Order. Of course, no one was home while everyone was out on telework.
- A: We should always be looking for the best value for the American taxpayer. USACE Personnel pointed out that a simple office size reduction would produce the cost savings that the decision-makers claim they want. But for some reason, they are not considering it at all. Plus, the data that Administrator Forst cited to make that claim was from a House of Representatives report several years prior to the Return-to-Office Executive Order. Of course, no one was home while everyone was out on telework.
- Q: How does this affect the nation?
- A: Secretary of the Army Telle has not only called out the New York District for high rents, but also The Los Angeles District, San Francisco District, and the Chicago District. They are trying to set a precedent at New York where the federal government can go into a city and rip out an institution like the Army Corps without consideration for the impacts on the community, public safety, and businesses. This must stop here or else it will happen everywhere.
