National Work Zone Awareness Week 2024

National Work Zone Awareness Week has begun. The goal is to highlight the dangers highway workers face every day in work. The state Department of Transportation had 214 instances of vehicles intruding into work zones, according to the state. There were nearly 200 crashes in Thruway work zones, leading to 37 injuries, the state said. […] Read More

Gov. Hochul signs legislation to ensure prevailing wage for construction workers

ALBANY, NY (WENY)– Construction workers on open street projects will soon receive a prevailing wage, after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the Roadway Excavation Quality Assurance Act.  “Up until this point in New York State, when those public streets were opened a private utility company had no responsibility or obligation to pay prevailing wages,” said […] Read More

Road crews statewide win prevailing wage for excavation projects

Utility company contractors and subcontractors must follow prevailing wage provisions on projects that require a permit to excavate or open a street under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The Roadway Excavation Quality Assurance Act mandates construction workers are paid the prevailing wage on such projects, and contributes to reliable utility service for ratepayers, […] Read More

Local 190 Partners with Troy CSD, Nonprofit to Provide Union Pathways

For the high school students, there are pathways to the skilled trades with the help of the Laborers Local 190 Union. Superintendent of schools John Carmello said, “We have graduates every year that go to some of the top colleges in the country, Ivy League- but it’s not everybody and there’s a great living to […] Read More

Western NY union apprentice recruitment program aims to assemble new workforce

For Michelle Clark, cutting into heavy concrete is part of her apprenticeship program at Laborer’s International Union of North American, Local 621 in Olean. Local 621 does Department of Transportation work, heavy highways, bridges and blacktop, as well as other building projects. “You get extensive training, be it in the classroom and on-the-job training. It’s […] Read More

Albany must invest more to rebuild NY’s roads and bridges now

There are two things that Central New York drivers are painfully aware of: our roads and bridges are noticeably deteriorating, and the wear and tear on our vehicles is leading to ever-increasingly expensive repairs. With each passing year, we have watched the roads worsen that we rely on to get to work, buy food for […] Read More

New York State $4.2B Bond Measure Goes Before Voters

As Election Day approaches, construction industry executives will be keenly tracking outcomes not only of key U.S. House and Senate and state and local races, but also results for important project funding measures and other ballot issues in several states.

Labor leaders call for approval of new power lines

NEWBURGH – Construction labor leaders in the Hudson Valley, Tuesday, called for community support for the construction of two power lines – the Champlain Hudson Power Express and Clear Path New York. The building trades officials emphasized what they said was the urgency of community backing for approval of the lines.  The underground electric lines, […] Read More

An Opportunity to Boost the Environment, Economy, and Workers

We have at times been led to believe that legislation can typically only fall in one of the following categories: environmental improvement, economic boost, or labor-friendly. In fact, we have actually seen instances where this is true and the goals outlined within a bill are at odds with others. But New York has an opportunity […] Read More

Local support for federal infrastructure bill displayed in Nassau

NASSAU – It was a bipartisan moment in the town highway garage Friday afternoon to celebrate the passage of the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure act that was greeted warmly by Capital Region labor and businesses. “It invests in strong economic growth for our communities and will allow us to compete in the 21st century instead of […] Read More

Bipartisan infrastructure bill will benefit NY

Bipartisan infrastructure bill will benefit NY To our representatives in Congress – do your duty and pass the bipartisan infrastructure framework. It isn’t often that the people we elect to represent our best interests in Washington have an opportunity to pass impactful legislation that will benefit every single American for generations to come. In fact, […] Read More

Local Laborers’ 190 Donates PJs and Pillows to South End Children’s Cafe

It’s the season of giving and local organizations are working hard to try to fill wish lists of families in need across the Capital Region. The South End Children’s Cafe in Albany is just one organization helping families in the area, and on Tuesday, the Local Laborers’ 190 stopped by to help fulfill some wishes. […] Read More

Essay: City Council should move forward with new RPD substation

While it’s a year that many of us would like to forget, 2020 will forever be remembered for the turmoil, fear, and health, social and economic crises our nation faced. The COVID-19 pandemic has systematically killed hundreds of thousands nationwide, irreversibly sickened countless more and crippled our economy. Families have forever been changed, whether it’s […] Read More

Union gives away pillows and PJs

The New York State Laborers Union Local 17 partnered with the New York State Laborer’s Health and Safety Trust Fund to give away pajamas, pillows, school supplies and toys to children in need and at no cost. The event was set up in just a few days and held at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, […] Read More

Patsy’s Barber Shop Offering Free Back-to-School Haircuts for Kids

A local labor union and barbershop are teaming up to get kids back to school haircuts for free. Kids are the VIP guests at Patsy’s Barbershop in Albany. “It’s really all about love and love is the answer and we’re trying to spread some generosity in these hard times,” said William Yager, owner of Patsy’s […] Read More

NYS Laborers Show Solidarity With Workers In New Rochelle, Yonkers

Laborers Local 60 and the New York State Laborers-Employers Cooperation Education Trust recognized essential workers helping to keep Westchester County moving by giving them free meals on Tuesday as they worked on job sites in New Rochelle and Yonkers.  Local 60 members distributed meals for hungry workers this week. At the Montesano job site in […] Read More

Donations Keep South End Children’s Cafe Feeding Families

Trays of chicken, canned goods, snacks, and other essential items were unloaded from a van and transported into the South End Children’s Café on Monday. “We’ve donated anything from shampoo, any food items, dry items,” said Anthony Fresina, the business manager for Laborers’ Local Union 190. Fresina and other union members were dropping off these […] Read More

Don’t close the door on fracking in New York yet

This week, we learned that the New York State Senate intends to introduce legislation to permanently ban fracking in New York. Many will recall that the New York Laborers Union, along with our members and supporters, were instrumental in the organized effort to explain and promote the many benefits fracking would create in the way […] Read More

Albany County legislators will wade into union-environmentalist conflict

Labor unions and environmentalists are squaring off over a plan to burn used tires to power the LaFargeHolcim cement plant in Coeymans, marking one of the latest chapters in what has long been an uneasy co-existence between the two groups which typically are aligned in other causes. The latest scuffle could come to a head […] Read More

Union vs. non-union workers: Which construction sites are safer?

The Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA) recently released new statistics it says show union construction workers in New York City were five times less likely to suffer a fatal accident last year than their non-union counterparts. Although, not everyone agrees. Read Full Article

Jornaleros y obreros denuncian robo de salarios por más de $70,000

Apertrechados contra las bajas temperaturas, resguardados por decenas de policías y ante una gran rata inflable -símbolo de la explotación por parte de las empresas contratistas-, un nutrido grupo de trabajadores de la construcción exigió este martes la devolución de sus salarios robados, frente a la sede de la New Line Structures, en plena Fashion […] Read More

Union leader feels “shunned” by the Albright-Knox

In just about a month, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery will be shutting down to prepare for a major expansion project. But an area labor leader is concerned the work is not going to include unionized skilled workers.   Laborer’s Local 210, the Buffalo Building Trades and Construction Council, and the New York State Laborers’ Organizing Fund […] Read More