Governor Kathy Hochul has signed important legislation providing additional tools to allow for the enforcement of labor laws in the construction industry.
“This legislation will help ensure transparency, reduce fraud and ensure taxpayer money goes to contractors who treat their workers with dignity and respect,” Governor Hochul said. “Our workers are the engine of our economy and we must do everything we can to protect their rights.”
Bill Banfield, Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said, “The Carpenters applaud Governor Kathy Hochul for signing Contractor Registration into law. Contractors who purposefully disregard prevailing wage laws cheat workers, taxpayers, and the integrity of the construction industry. The Contractor Registration law that the Governor signed today will ensure that when public money is spent, law-abiding contractors are the ones doing that construction work. Fairness in the construction industry starts with accountability.”
Legislation (S.5994C/A.1338C) creates a registration system for contractors and subcontractors that bid on contracts for public work projects and work on private projects that receive public subsidies in New York. This new law requires contractors and subcontractors to register with the Department of Labor by providing a series of disclosures about their businesses every two years. The Department of Labor will determine whether a contractor or subcontractor is fit to register, based on previous labor law and worker’s compensation law violations, including prevailing wage requirements, In addition, a publicly available online database will be created.
Gary LaBarbera, President of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, said, “Far too often in the construction industry unscrupulous contractors are able to cheat workers through a lack of transparency and accountability. This legislation will play a large role in counteracting this trend and allow New York to protect our hardworking tradesmen and tradeswomen by ensuring that contractors receiving taxpayer revenue and public funds for their projects meet the very basic requirements for demonstrating that they are an upstanding business. With the Department of Labor tasked with overseeing thousands of public projects, this registry will provide another tool for enforcing prevailing wage laws and ensuring construction workers are treated fairly on the job site. We thank Governor Hochul for signing this important legislation, along with legislative leadership and bill sponsors Senator Ryan and Assemblyman Magnarelli, who pushed this crucial initiative forward.”
