Posts by tschmidt@abcnys.org
Marijuana Decriminalization to Pass, Wage Mandate Stalls
On Thursday, Cuomo declared a bill expanding a “prevailing wage” requirement that would apply to larger construction projects likely dead. The law would have expanded the definition of “public works” in New York to include projects receiving more than 30 percent of their funding from the government – making those projects eligible for the wage requirement. Powerful building trades unions, who are among Cuomo’s most significant political supporters, had pushed the mandate this session.
Read MoreAnother Voice: Benefits Add Hidden Costs to Prevailing Wage Projects
Let’s not be fooled. Proponents of the expansion of prevailing wage are already doing great damage to taxpayers. They shouldn’t be allowed to ruin what little positive job growth we now have in New York.
Read MoreFirst JCC Trades Training Class Graduates; Honored by Officials
The first class to complete the intensive 10-week, 40-hour construction training course offered by Jefferson Community College was celebrated at a recognition ceremony Friday at the Lewis County JCC Education Center.
Read MoreOgdensburg Won’t Save Money With a PLA
For years, the city of Ogdensburg has struggled to gather funding for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant. Now, with the final financing pieces falling into place, the spendthrift City Council has voted to irresponsibly waste tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to conduct a study to consider using a Project Labor Agreement: a discriminatory, pre-hire agreement with labor organizations requiring that the workforce comes from the local union hiring hall.
Read MoreNew York Ranks 47th for Construction Business Climate, According to ABC Scorecard
Construction contractors in New York continue to struggle to do business, according to 2018 state rankings released by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). “Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard” reviews and ranks state-specific information significant to the success of the commercial and industrial construction industry.
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