New York City, United States – Andre Soleyn stands just outside the gate of the United Metro Energy Corporation (UMEC), one of the largest energy providers in the New York City metropolitan area, watching men bustle back and forth. Sporting a black suede zip-up and a short, neatly trimmed grey beard, the 55-year-old peers up at the sprawling Brooklyn energy terminal where he was once a terminal operator. That all changed on April 19, 2021, when Soleyn led 13 of his coworkers out the door and onto a picket line – launching what is now the longest ongoing strike in the country.
Over the course of an hour, on a chilly but sunny February afternoon, he fields warm greetings from his former coworkers as they pass by the gates.
