OMG, leave it to Tim Kennedy to come up with this stupid idea, he is so in bed with the union contractors he can no longer try to disguise it, it’s sickening. I would like all the union contractors to answer questions too. How many times have you gone over budget on a project, how many times have you not completed a project on time, how many times have non union contractors had to come in to bail you out, how many times have you harassed contractors for not being unionized, how many times have you broken windshields, flattened tires, verbally and physically assaulted construction workers just because they were not union, why are you and your union companies the only ones allowed to do city, town, village, county, state and federal work?
I have personally seen all of the above and more, I have been in the construction industry for 32 years and the biggest job I ever ran was a multimillion dollar building at the Niagara Falls Air Force Base, I have been harassed at sites all over Western New York, why? Because I am not union, never have been, never will be. Even when I had to hire a company that was non union just because union companies locally did not do the work I needed to have done, I have been harassed.
This thug mentality should have been dead in the 50’s but welcome to New York where the unions are still living in the past and if your not one of them your not welcome here and you cannot be allowed to work here. Grow up!
County bill on hiring contractors draws fire :The Buffalo News
Proposal focuses on responsibility
Erie County lawmakers will consider a bill forcing the county’s construction contractors to prove they are “responsible,” but an industry spokesman calls it a way for a pro-union Legislature to hinder nonunion contractors.
Aides to County Executive Chris Collins see similar problems, and it appears he would veto the bill if the Legislature sends it to him.
Like most governments, Erie County awards contracts to the lowest responsible bidder and expects them to meet relevant rules, such as providing workers’ compensation insurance and paying the prevailing wage. In addition, New York state bars contractors from public projects for repeated violations of the prevailing wage law or for playing games with their payrolls.
A proposed law, which will soon enter the legislative labyrinth, would require Erie County contractors to answer 10 yes or no questions, including: whether a top official has filed for bankruptcy in the last five years; had a professional license suspended or revoked; been cited under the Occupational Safety and Health Act; violated the National Labor Relations Act or an environmental health law; or been a defendant in a lawsuit over a personal injury, wrongful death or discrimination.
A bidder who answers yes to any question is deemed not responsible but can go before the county’s public works commissioner to reverse its status, said Legislator Timothy M. Kennedy, D-Buffalo, chairman of the Economic Development Committee and a force behind the proposal. Otherwise, the contract would go to the next highest bidder who meets the test.
The bill, which has yet to be formally introduced and can be amended, also would allow any Erie County citizen to challenge the commissioner by requesting a hearing to “present evidence and testimony as to why the contractor or subcontractor is not responsible.” The Legislature would be the final arbiter since it approves contracts worth more than $10,000.
Scott Zylka, a representative for the Associated Builders and Contractors in Western New York, suspects the law could be used for witch hunts against non-union contractors.
“As a national organization we have seen this in other states and municipalities,” Zylka said. “It is just another union-favorable piece of legislation. A lot of times you will see extra clauses. This is a way for unions to go after open-shop contractors by putting them on a witch-hunt list.”
Tags: Erie County Insanity
