An interesting article in this weeks LI Business News. I am working with all involved to find acceptable compromise. Suffolk mulls new rules for county work By: David Winzelberg - December 5, 2014 The Suffolk County Legislature is considering new apprenticeship requirements that would eliminate most nonunion and open-shop contractors from working on county construction projects. Although Suffolk already requires all contractors and subcontractors to have an apprenticeship program in place before bidding on county work, the new law would require those companies to have graduated at least four employees from those programs within the prior four years to be eligible to work on county construction jobs. Proponents of the new law, including cosponsor Suffolk County Legis. Kate Browning, WF-Shirley, say safety is the issue. “We don’t want to see workers put in jeopardy,” Browning told LIBN. “We’re not saying you have to be union, but you can’t say you have an apprenticeship program and not graduate anyone.” Critics argue that the proposed legislation is really aimed at whittling away at nonunion competition, giving union firms a leg up on public work. The proposed measure allows firms affiliated with unions to bid on county work because their unions have already met the stiffer apprenticeship guidelines, even though the companies themselves may not have graduated enough employees – a clause that can’t be availed by nonunion contractors. Smaller contracting firms would be especially hard-pressed to meet the pending apprenticeship graduation requirement because of the state Department of Labor’s ratio standard of having two to four full-fledged mechanics for every apprentice on a project. Legis. Tom Cilmi, R-Bay Shore, said because of their size and allowable ratio of skilled workers, it would be “improbable for a small company to graduate four apprentices in four years.” Michael Todisco, regional vice president of the Metro/Long Island Associated Builders and Contractors Empire State Chapter, which represents the area’s merit shops, said the proposed law will put “thousands of people” out of work. “These smaller contractors with less than 10 employees can’t afford the cost or the use of this many apprentices,” Todisco said. “You can choose a good contractor that isn’t union. This is only going to cost the taxpayer more money.” Contractor Gerald Curtin, who owns Statewide Roofing in Ronkonkoma, agreed that the proposed bill would have a devastating effect on firms like his that aren’t affiliated with the locals of the Building Trades Council. Statewide has had a county contract for roofing repairs for the last 10 years and has operated an apprenticeship program for 18 years, but the firm would be grounded for future county projects if the new law is adopted, since Statewide has graduated just two apprentices in the last four years and six over the last 15 years. “This would eliminate me,” Curtin said. “I would have to lay off 15 to 20 guys right away.” Despite a virtually unblemished safety record with just one county-contract injury in 10 years – a Statewide worker broke an ankle recently after twisting it on the sloped roof of the Board of Elections building in Yaphank – the company has been a constant target of the Building Trades, which has posted giant inflatable rats outside several of its public projects. “We have a full-time safety inspector on staff with a degree in occupational safety,” Curtin said. “This bill isn’t about safety.” Browning acknowledged that the graduation requirement might hurt some small contractors. “It’s going to be problematic for them,” she said, but added that there are a lot of small companies that won’t be affected because they have affiliations with the Building Trades. Legis. John Kennedy, R-Nesconset, another cosponsor of the bill, said he doesn’t feel graduating apprentices is an onerous burden, but added that if the law’s language truly hurts legitimate smaller contractors, it might have to be tweaked. “We need to find some middle ground,” Kennedy said. Cilmi, who said he “begrudgingly” voted for the measure as a member of the Legislature’s Government Operations, Personnel, Housing and Consumer Protection Committee, said he would vote against the resolution as written if it gets to the floor of the legislature. “I don’t disagree that there should be some kind of accountability,” Cilmi said. “But this would unfairly preclude small contractors from bidding on county work.” Curtin, whose firm’s business relies on public projects for 90 percent of its work, said he will take the county to court if the proposed apprentice graduation bill becomes law. “I’ll have no choice,” he said.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 01:33:37 +0000
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