BOL elected officials unanimously voted in support of the proposed law, “Mandating Apprenticeships in County Projects,” at their regular board meeting on April 20. The new law requires contractors bidding on large county construction projects (over $250,000) to provide hands-on, industry-aligned training and skill development to workers. Companies seeking those contracts must offer New York State-registered apprenticeship programs in the building trades. Contractors with 14 or fewer employees are exempt.

The Board of Legislators also unanimously passed the “Westchester County Lessor Prevailing Wage Act,” guaranteeing construction workers on county-leased properties the same standard union wages they would earn on County-owned job sites.

The measure, which was passed by the County Board of Legislators on May 4, closes a longstanding gap in state labor law that left workers unprotected on county-leased properties. Under existing law, construction on privately owned land, even when leased by the county and directly supporting county operations, can fall outside the legal definition of “public work,” leaving workers without prevailing wage protections.

The new measure applies to lease agreements of 10 years or more and construction projects exceeding $250,000 undertaken on behalf of the county. Contractors and subcontractors on those projects will be required to pay prevailing wages and maintain certified payroll records to verify compliance. The law takes effect for new lease agreements entered into 120 days after adoption. It includes an exemption for emergency construction work required to protect public health and safety, county officials stated.

At the bill-signing ceremony, Mr. Jenkins said, “These are the kinds of protections and workforce investments I have advocated for and fought to advance for decades. I am proud to see the Board of Legislators take meaningful action to support working men and women across Westchester and ensure County projects create good-paying jobs, strong labor standards and real pathways to opportunity.”

Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Vedat Gashi said: “When Westchester builds, everyone on that job deserves fair wages and a real path forward in their career.” He thanked Mr. Jenkins organized labor for raising awareness, noting, “When Westchester invest in infrastructure, we can also invest in the people who build it.”

Westchester Deputy County Executive Joan McDonald noted that over the past eight years the county has been focused on reducing the backlog of capital projects that had been on the books for many years. The county has approved capital projects ranging from $250,000 to as high as approximately $95 million for the Glen Island Bridge project in New Rochelle and noted that the county earmarks more than $300 million in capital project funding each year. 

“We need trained employees and a trained workforce to get this work done,” Ms. McDonald said. “The work that the various trades and the apprentices that are coming up through the trades make sure that the bridges that are built are safe, that the buildings that we build are safe and that they are habitable. We want to make sure that continues. All of these bills are about today, but they are really about the future and the future workforce to ensure that we can continue to build these capital projects so that the apprentices of today will be the skilled workforce of tomorrow in five, 10 and 20 years in building the future of Westchester County.”

Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester and Putnam Counties President Jeff Loughlin said, “The 33 affiliates of the Westchester/Putnam Building and Construction Trades Council extend our sincere thanks to County Executive Jenkins for getting this apprenticeship bill across the finish line. Throughout his career, County Executive Jenkins has been a steadfast advocate for organized labor, and these new laws are additional important steps in supporting working-class people in organized labor—not just for today, but for tomorrow.”

Vice President of the Westchester Putnam Building Trades Council and Carpenters Local 279 Business Representative Edward Cooke explained that the legislation took 15 years to get to the finish line. He and County Executive Jenkins first began discussing the Apprenticeship Bill 15 years ago at a meeting at a Yonkers waterfront restaurant. “For more than 15 years, through every governmental position County Executive Jenkins has held and every office to which he has been elected, he has consistently pursued policies that create pathways to opportunity for working families. We are proud to stand with County Executive Jenkins and this Legislature because, together, they have created opportunities for the youth of Westchester and the surrounding communities. They have taken the first step toward building real careers in the Building Trades through apprenticeship programs and creating a true pathway to the middle class.”