Posts by tschmidt@abcnys.org
New York’s PLA Addiction & The Impact on Affordable Housing
New York’s PLA Addiction & The Impact on Affordable Housing Governor Hochul has announced multiple large-scale housing developments. One major announcement was the 1200 new housing units being built at 5 World Trade Center in New York City, where one-third will be affordable housing. ABC applauds the Governor for her commitment to relieving the housing…
Read MoreFix the PLA Problem Before Bailing Out NYCHA
Fix the PLA Problem Before Bailing Out NYCHA The newly appointed New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) CEO has requested a $500M bailout. Common sense change must be made before even a penny of this enormous bailout is forced on taxpayers. NYCHA must stop using expensive Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on their construction projects as…
Read MoreBringing Back 421-A Is a Good Start to Fixing Housing Crisis
Bringing Back 421-A Is a Good Start to Fixing Housing Crisis Leaders in Albany have correctly identified that New York has a housing crisis. It is even more frustrating that they have chosen to do nothing about that crisis. Without the correct changes, there is no way that the state will reach its goal of…
Read MoreSampson Quoted in BisNow: No Pause In Construction Despite NYC Having World’s Worst Air Quality
Sampson Quoted: No Pause In Construction Despite NYC Having World’s Worst Air Quality June 8, 2023 Ciara Long, Bisnow New York City As thick billows of smoke from wildfires in Canada turned New York City’s air into a hazardous haze on Wednesday, construction work pressed ahead. Bisnow/Ellie Meyer The view of the New York City skyline from Hoboken…
Read MoreChapter President Brian Sampson Statement on the Passing of the NYS Budget
Chapter President Brian Sampson Statement on the Passing of the NYS Budget For Immediate Release: May 2nd, 2023 Contact: Tanner Schmidt, Public Affairs Manager, (585) 730-1814, tschmidt@abcnys.org www.abcnys.org The following statement on the New York State Budget is attributed to the Associated Builders & Contractors, Empire State Chapter President Brian Sampson: “Governor Hochul and elected…
Read MoreTossing Cash Out the Window
Tossing Cash Out the Window via GIPHY Time and time again, elected officials in Albany are choosing to waste taxpayer funds by mandating unnecessary labor requirements that do nothing to benefit the project or the workers on those projects and increase the amount New York taxpayer pay for construction. Why do they do these harmful…
Read MoreDOOMED FROM THE START: NEW YORKS HABITUAL WORKER EXCLUSION PROBLEM
DOOMED FROM THE START: NEW YORKS HABITUAL WORKER EXCLUSION PROBLEM ABC is glad to see investments included in the state budget proposals to revamp and improve our infrastructure, build 800,000 affordable housing units, and construct more climate/green projects. This funding will create hundreds of thousands of construction jobs in our state. It will also accomplish…
Read MoreABC Responds to Buffalo News Letter: “PLAs Actually Serve Local Workers”
ABC Responds to Buffalo News Letter: “PLAs Actually Serve Local Workers” Normally we wouldn’t take the time to respond to a piece like this. We could point out that the “recent study” he cites is just an update to a 2008 presentation given at a union conference, so it’s essentially a 15-year-old union-funded study. We…
Read MoreGovernor is Right on Renewable Goals
Governor is Right on Renewable Goals Since taking office, Governor Hochul has made climate goals and renewable energy a cornerstone of her platform. While there will always be debate about what to do and how far to push, I think most agree that the climate needs to be a focus for all of us. Whatever…
Read MoreAlbany’s Policies Inhibit Creation of Affordable Housing
Albany’s Policies Inhibit Creation of Affordable Housing It’s clear that addressing the housing crisis by building more affordable housing units in New York is a top priority for Governor Hohcul and leaders in the legislature. ABC and our members applaud this idea, but there are some obstacles standing in the way of achieving this goal.…
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