NY Contracting Group Applauds New ‘Local Hire’ Policy

A leading business trade organization in the Hudson Valley is hailing the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency for approving a new labor policy that will require incentivized project developers to hire 85 percent of their construction workers from the local area. The policy also calls for measures to increase jobsite safety, including drug screening and training.

“We applaud the Westchester IDA for the new policy that was the result of extensive negotiations among a number of stakeholders, including county government, the IDA and local labor leaders,” said John Cooney, Jr., executive director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Inc. “If development projects receive county subsidies in the form of incentive financing through the IDA, it should be the local taxpayers who also benefit from the jobs these building projects create.”

Cooney said companies employing local building tradespeople have been shut out of the bidding process from significant portions of new development projects. “Developers that benefitted from IDA financial incentives could skirt more stringent labor policies and safety practices that contractors must meet when bidding on county public works projects.”

The IDA policy states companies benefitting from its incentive programs “should employ local laborers, mechanics, craft persons, journey workers, equipment operators, truck drivers and apprentices, including those who have returned from military service, during the construction phase of projects.”

Westchester County Director of Operations Joan McDonald, who also is chairperson of the Westchester County IDA, said the new rules reflect the county’s stated intention that the local workforce hired for IDA-supported projects be organized and properly trained, and the new policies adopted include pre-apprenticeship programs and stronger safety protocols to protect both workers and the general public.

As part of the enhanced safety procedures, all workers on jobsites would be required to complete Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training. Subcontractors on project work must also be enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program, and all tradespeople must pass a drug screening prior to working on an IDA-supported building project.

“The county is seeking to strike a balance that can work for labor and the development community,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “We believe these new policies are measured and practical, and will help our working men and women and still ensure that our IDA benefits assist the projects that add growth to our county’s economy.”

The Westchester County IDA’s Board of Directors approved the policy Feb. 25 and the measures go into effect 60 days after passage.

About CIC

The Tarrytown, N.Y.-based Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley Inc. is the core of construction and building in the mid-Hudson region of New York State. As the leading voice for transportation construction and environmental infrastructure, as well as utilities and commercial development, CIC represents the leading heavy construction general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and service professionals in the seven-county region of the lower Hudson Valley. CIC is aligned with the Building Contractors Association of Westchester & the Mid-Hudson Region, Inc., and more than 30 labor unions of the Building & Construction Trades Councils in the area. CIC and BCA-member companies play a vital role to sustain the region’s quality of life and economic activity. For information, visit cicbca.org.