SUNY Stony Brook Legislation - A.7702-S.5502
[6/8/2011] - MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT A. 7702 (Englebright) S. 5502 (Flanagan) On behalf of 220,000 unionized construction workers, the NYS Building & Construction Trades Council SUPPORTS A.7702 – S.5502 which would authorize SUNY Stony Brook to lease a portion of its land for the purpose of constructing medical and parking facilities. The New York State Building Trades is supportive of public-private partnerships when they include measures that will ensure a positive effect on both the state’s economy and workforce.  This legislation successfully achieves these goals in two very important ways.  First, the projects authorized by this legislation will be deemed public works projects, ensuring that construction workers employed on the job are afforded the necessary protections of Article 8 of the Labor Law.  Second, this legislation requires the consideration of a project labor agreement if the project exceeds $10 million and is financed by at least 25% of state appropriated funds.  A project labor agreement would ensure that state funds are used in the most efficient manner and would further protect the state’s workforce by encouraging the use of local labor. The Building Trades is confident that passage of this legislation will have a positive economic impact on the area’s economy and workforce, and we encourage immediate passage of A.7702 – S.5502. For information contact: Patrick Brown (518) 427-7350 link

State Apprenticeship Traning Council Legislation- S.3748-A.7372
[6/8/2011] - MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION A. 7372 (Rivera) S. 3748 (Robach) On behalf of 220,000 unionized construction workers, the NYS Building & Construction Trades Council OPPOSES A.3748 which would require that a representative from a group non-joint apprenticeship program serve on the State Apprenticeship and Training Council. The State Apprenticeship and Training Council plays an integral role in the development of a skilled workforce by advising the Commissioner of Labor on apprentice training issues, recommending apprentice standards, and addressing the broad concerns of a skilled labor shortage.  It follows that the Council should seek input from representatives with a proven record of success.  Joint programs have higher certification rates and are more likely to include women and minorities.  In order for any training program to successfully contribute to a skilled and competent workforce, completion of the program is critical. According to a study published by Cornell University’s Industrial & Labor Relations Review , apprentices in non-joint apprenticeship programs were almost twice as likely to drop out of training programs as were those in joint programs.    Additionally, the study indicates the percentages of minorities and women are higher in joint programs (20.3% in joint programs compared to 14.5% in non-joint programs). Currently, representatives are appointed by the Governor from both joint and non-joint programs.  No credible rationale has been offered to limit the Governor’s discretion by requiring him to appoint a person representing an inferior training program. The Governor has the ability to make these appointments objectively and the pool of eligible candidates for each position should not be limited. For information contact: Patrick Brown (518) 427-7350 link

Best Value Contracting Legislation - A.7357-S.4753
[6/8/2011] - MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION A. 7357 (Heastie) S. 4753 (Razenhofer) On behalf of 220,000 unionized construction workers, the NYS Building & Construction Trades Council OPPOSES A.7387 – S.4753 which would allow municipalities to award public work and procurement contracts using the “best valueâ€� method rather than “lowest responsible bidderâ€� method.  Current law requires that almost all public procurement contracts for goods and services be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.  This law provides a known, objective system that helps to avoid fraud and favoritism.  Moreover, current law is specifically designed to protect scarce public resources by ensuring that price is the major criterion in making an award of a public contract. The current law has its flaws but on the whole works well to keep cronyism out of the system.  The Building Trades cannot think of any reason to replace a system that works well and return to a subjective system where low price is only one of many factors in the award of public contracts.    Please oppose A.7387-S.4753, and do not allow best value contracting to put New York State’s public funds at risk. For information contact: Patrick Brown (518) 427-7350 link

Public Private Partnerships Legislation S.5445
[6/8/2011] - MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION                                                                                                   S. S.5445 (Fuschillo) On behalf of 220,000 unionized construction workers, the NYS Building & Construction Trades Council OPPOSES S. 5445 which would allow the Department of Transportation, the Thruway Authority and the MTA to enter into public private partnerships to finance transportation related capital projects.  The State Building Trades Council is supportive of efforts to address the state’s infrastructure needs; however, in order for public-private partnership proposals to be successful, they must incorporate measures that ensure a positive effect on both the economy and the state’s workforce.  Over the past eighteen months, the State Building Trades has considered the public-private partnership issue extensively with regard to SUNY’s PHEEIA legislation which would have allowed certain SUNY campuses to enter into public private partnerships.  As a result of lengthy discussions with labor leaders, the Building Trades will support public-private partnerships as long as certain labor protections are included. First, public-private partnership legislation must clearly state that such projects are deemed public works covered by Article 8 of the Labor Law in order to guarantee that certain labor standards are in place, including the payment of prevailing wages.  Second, public-private partnership legislation must ensure that a Project Labor Agreement is considered for any project that employs an alternative contract delivery method other than design-bid-build.  These two measures would ensure that New York’s construction workers will benefit from these public-private partnership agreements. Statewide, our industry is suffering from unemployment rates in the 20%-60% range.  We are always open to legislation which would potentially create good-paying job opportunities for our members.  The Building Trades will support  legislation that  incorporates labor protections but we are OPPOSED to the bill as currently written. For information contact: Patrick Brown (518) 427-7350 link

Charter School Legislation
[1/19/2010] - This bill is likely to pass today with strong opposition from the Governor.  The bill does not include prevailing wage language. link

Wicks Reform - Highlights
[6/3/2008]

Supreme Court rules that "the construction, renovation, repair, and maintenance of charter schools facilities constitute projects for public works."
[6/3/2008]