Kenny Shane, “Liberty House”

“This is one of the doormen. The sun was setting, and he was just standing out there, waiting for the people to come home,” wrote photographer Kenny Shane. The photograph is included in Unseen America: Photos and Stories by Workers, edited by Esther Cohen (Regan Books, 2006). 

Mr. Shane is a building supervisor and member of SEIU Local 32BJ in New York City. The union represents seventy thousand members who work throughout the city at residential and commercial buildings of all sizes and sorts, including the great landmarks like Lincoln Center and Yanke Stadium. 

The photograph comes out of Mr. Shane’s participation in photography classes offered through Bread and Roses, a nonprofit cultural program of the labor union 1199. Workers were encouraged to photograph what they see in the world around them