October 2024

NEW YORK – New York City loses millions of gallons of water each day from leaks in the Delaware Aqueduct Tunnel upstate, the equivalent of flooding all 32 NFL football fields this Sunday with three feet of water. Then again on Monday, on Tuesday and on and on.

WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees approved a request on Oct. 8 authorizing staff to negotiate a binding development agreement with the developers of the Hamilton Green project, currently under construction, to build a new nearly 300,000-square-foot corporate headquarters building at the former White Plains Mall project site in Downtown White Plains.

ALBANY—A review of the 132-page “Scoping Report” for the “NYS Route 17 Mobility and Access Improvements Project” also known as the Route 17 expansion project, reveals that the two build alternatives being advanced by the New York State Department of Transportation for further study would each cost more than $1.3 billion to complete.

NEW YORK—The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Sept. 30 its commitment to award a historic amount to historically underutilized businesses as part of its recently announced 2025-2029 Capital Plan.

WASHINGTON— Construction sector employment rose by 25,000 jobs in September as both nonresidential and residential contractors added workers at a faster clip than other industries, according to an analysis of new government data by a construction organization. Firms continue to boost pay as they seek to add even more people to their payrolls to keep pace with demand, the report released on Oct. 4 noted.

When most disputes come to a head, the battle cry is “I’ll see you in court!” In connection with construction disputes, that battle cry often becomes “I’ll see you in front of the arbitrator!” While the latter exclamation lacks the panache of the former, it does acknowledge that a significant portion of construction disputes never see the inside of a courtroom because the parties had agreed to submit the dispute to a private arbitration process.

NEW YORK—On Oct. 1, Con Edison marked the start of construction of its Reliable Clean City – Idlewild Project, which will support the electrification of John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s switch to electric buses, and electrification of buildings in Jamaica, Queens, NY.

In general, the deregulation of marijuana has led to implications on drug testing policies and employee rights. Employers should consider removing THC from their pre-employment drug screening panels. Additionally, employers should review any off duty conduct policies in place, as it is unlawful for an employer to discharge, discriminate against, or refuse to hire an individual because of the individual’s legal use of consumable products off the employer’s premises and outside of work hours.

The period leading up to a U.S. presidential election is often characterized by significant uncertainty and market volatility. As candidates run for office, investors, businesses and consumers react to the potential outcomes and their associated economic policies. The short-term effects of this election uncertainty manifest across various sectors, affecting financial markets, business investments and consumer behavior.

Six years ago, Rob Tirella got a phone call from a friend, a member of Laborers 235, offering him the opportunity to join a union. Rob had a unique skill set, acquired from years working in his family’s business, All County Appliance, where as a high schooler he would spend time after school and summers greasing, repairing or assembling a veritable cargo-ship-load of tools and appliances that came and when through the Mamaroneck storefront.