Less than a month after announcing it was ready to build a new office building in San Francisco, Thirty Ink — a collection of Stephen Curry’s eight businesses and 13 entities — said the project is canceled because of a dispute with a local carpenter’s union.
“Our dream of building a new Thirty Ink HQ at 600 20th Street has been destroyed by the [Nor Cal Carpenters Union],” said a company spokesperson.
According to a press release, Curry’s company said it had committed to using a partially unionized workforce for the project, but the offer was “deemed unacceptable” by the Nor Cal Carpenters Union’s director of organizing, Jacob Adiarte.
“Unfortunately, our generous and completely unnecessary approach has been deemed unacceptable,” said the spokesperson. “[Adiarte] has personally gone out of his way to make it untenable for us to build in San Francisco.”
Privately funded projects typically don’t require union labor unless they are financed using public subsidies. However, many projects use union workers to avoid labor conflicts.
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Sam Singer, a spokesperson for the union, said Achill Beg Constructon, the general contractor chosen by Thirty Ink, has a “less than reputable” reputation and a long history of trying to undercut union labor.
“This should be a union carpenter project,” Singer said. “I don’t believe there’s a single person in San Francisco, Oakland, or Bay Area who doesn’t look up to, admire, and respect Stephen Curry. We hope that he shows that same respect back and uses union labor to build a wonderful monument for his future endeavors.”
James Gallagher, CEO of Achill Beg Construction, did not respond to requests for comment.
According to public records, a Curry-owned company purchased the land at 600 20th St. last year for $8.5 million and planned to raze the two-story concrete building on the site. A demolition permit was approved in August.
Project documents revealed that the proposed 25,000-square-foot building would have office, lab, and arts spaces; a roof deck; and a 4,700-square-foot, three-bedroom unit on the fifth floor for business guests from out of town.
This is a developing story and will be updated.