DiNAPOLI ADDS IUPAT ENDORSEMENT
Painters Put Another Coat on New York State Comptroller’s Growing List
New York, NY – New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the
endorsements of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) DC 9 and DC 4.
Speaking at IUPAT DC 9’s training facility in Long Island City, DiNapoli said, “I am proud to
have earned this important endorsement. I grew up in a union household and I understand
the hopes of working families. IUPAT is committed to building a future for its members,
and those members are working hard for all of us. Seeing the apprentices training here
gives me confidence that we are on the right track, and I will continue to work as hard as I
can to help bring economic security to families all across New York State.”
Joseph Ramaglia, Business Manager and Secretary Treasurer of IUPAT DC 9, said, “Usually
our endorsement process is a long debate, but this one was easy. Tom DiNapoli has always
been a good friend to New York’s working men and women. With Tom we don’t get
politics as usual. Instead, we all get a fighter for economic stability; someone who makes
the tough calls now so the future will be better. Tom rises above the dysfunction in Albany
and gets results: the recent Pew Pension Fund Report shows that New York State’s
pension fund is now the strongest in the nation. Tom DiNapoli is a hard-working guy who
doesn’t forget his middle class roots, and we at IUPAT are pleased to endorse him.”
Dan Boody, Business Manager and Secretary Treasurer of IUPAT DC 4, said, “As Comptroller,
Tom knows that it’s important to listen to what goes on all over the state, on Main Street as
well as on Wall Street, and in Buffalo as well as in Brooklyn. Given his background, Tom
understands that we all want to live the American Dream, we all want a healthy economy,
and we all want tomorrow to be better than today. We need Tom DiNapoli as Comptroller
so he can continue his work reigning in wasteful spending, protecting taxpayers and
making sure our pension system stays strong.”
Speaking about his role as the state’s Chief Fiscal Officer, DiNapoli said, “I’ll be straight with
New Yorkers about our state’s finances and will make sure public resources are used solely
for the public good. Hard working New Yorkers deserve a government that works as hard
as they do, and I’ll continue to do just that. It’s your money, and it’s my job to protect it.”
DiNapoli was recently endorsed by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
(RWDSU), and by the Democratic Party County Chairs of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Under DiNapoli’s watch, the Comptroller’s office has uncovered waste, fraud and abuse of
taxpayer dollars, while increasing transparency and accountability at every level of government.
He recently completed audits of all 733 school districts and BOCES in the state, identifying
waste and excess reserves, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings
opportunities to benefit taxpayers.
Since taking office in 2007, Comptroller DiNapoli has completely reformed the Comptroller’s
office. He’s restored ethics and trust to the operation of the pension fund, implementing a long
list of reforms to end the abuses of the prior administration. DiNapoli has reined in the influence
of lobbyists and banned gifts to employees, and has instituted tough new ethics rules to root out
fraud and corruption.
January Special Meeting Notice
Mayor Signs $5.3B PLA's
Mayor Announces PLA with the Building Trades
NOVEMBER 24th -- Mayor Mike Bloomberg today announced the signing of long-awaited Project Labor Agreements (PLA's) worth $5.3 Billion in public projects over the next four years. The signing of the PLA's caps an eight-month negotiation process between the Trades and the City administration. These are the first-ever PLA's for City agencies. The PLA for the School Construction Authority builds on a previous PLA agreement. The announcement was made at the Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School at Spring and Broome Streets in Soho.
Calling the PLA deals "the economic downturn's silver lining," the Mayor said hard economic times have allowed the City to win $300 million in savings from labor unions by exacting concessions in work rules and overtime, including a waiver of Wicks Law provisions. (Hear audio of the Mayor here.) Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera, in response to a question, countered by noting that the PLA's put savings dollars back into the City's capital budget, where they will be used to fund an additional 1,800 unionized construction jobs. (Hear audio of Mr. LaBarbera here.)
The solid turnout of labor leaders at the event -- including top officials of the Mason Tenders, Ironworkers, Painters, Elevator Constructors, and others -- was a clear indication that they support the PLA's and believe their funding guarantees will be instrumental in helping many union members ride out the recession. The PLA's mean different things to different unions, with some -- like Mason Tenders Local 79 -- looking to see significant hiring. Others, like the Elevator Constructors, are expecting just a small boost.
Local 79 Rank and File carried their banner at the press event
Building Trades Employers' Association President Lou Coletti thanked the Mayor for stimulating jobs and said that his contractors would "compete very heavily" for the work, thus insuring greater savings for the City. (Hear audio of Mr. Coletti here.)
Overtime is capped at time-and-a-half for work performed from Monday through Saturday with no restriction on the ability of contractors to schedule overtime to meet deadlines. All trades have agreed to standardization of terms and flexibility of scheduling at job sites, including eight standard holidays, 8-hour day, 40-hour weeks, flexible start times, and coordinated lunch periods. Strikes are prohibited even if broader work stoppages exist outside the work sites.
The Mayor's office said the PLA's will fund 32,000 construction jobs over the four year life of the agreements. He was joined by Reverend Jacques A. DeGraff of the Minority Business Leadership Council, who noted that the PLA's have specific provisions to increase the numbers of minorities and women who can be placed on construction jobs. For contracts and subcontracts of less than $1 million, managed by non-union Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, the contractor will be allowed to fill as many as half of the first eight jobs on a project with their own workforce. The PLA's commit unions to the goal of hiring 45% of apprentices from the ranks of minorities, women, returning veterans, and new high school graduates of theCity's public schools.
Here is a breakdown of the four Project Labor Agreements which were finalized today:
The first covers $942 million in projects for the general renovation and rehabilitation of existing City-owned buildings and
structures.
Local 79 Business Manager John Delgado speaks to
the Mayor after the press event, as his members stand in
the background.
The second and third, worth $1.9 billion, covers eleven large-scale, new construction projects, including a new Police Academy, a new branch library in Far Rockaway, and the City's new 911 dispatching center.
The fourth PLA, between the School Construction Authority (SCA) and the Building and Trades Construction Council, funds $2.5 billion or renovation and rehabilitation of schools.
The Mayor made it clear that other PLA's are in the works. including one which would cover an additional $509 million of work at wastewater treatment plants, housing properties owned by the City and at other sites.
The Finishing Trades Institute of New York has recently been accepted into the award-winning AIA Continuing Education Systems as one of their newest Registered Providers, network of providers who offer quality continuing education to AIA architect members, and other design professionals worldwide.
2009 Labor Day Parade
Saturday, September 12, 2009
DC 9 members will assemble at 8:30 AM on the corner of 44th Street and 5th Avenue. We are scheduled to march at 11:45 AM.
Refreshments and food will be served. Bring your current ID card or current dues receipt.
UNIONS AND MANAGEMENT AGREE TO MAJOR CONSTRUCTION COST REDUCTIONS IN NYC HISTORIC PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT
IUPAT Meeting: Dates Set for 2009 Finishing Forum Taking Place in Las Vegas
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