Author name: niallogara

WASHINGTON—States have committed federal funds to support more than 56,000 eligible transportation improvements in all 50 states during the last two years, spanning nearly every U.S. county, according to a recent review of the latest available federal data conducted by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

ALBANY—New York State announced on Dec. 11 a $10-billion partnership with leaders from the semiconductor industry, including Armonk-based IBM, Micron, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and others to establish a next-generation semiconductor research and development center at NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex here.

A pernicious employment practice—called misclassification— is used by unscrupulous employers to avoid paying their share of payroll taxes and to evade certain responsibilities and liabilities covered by employment law. In some industries, misclassification has become so extreme that it has gone underground, with employers not even formally classifying many workers even as independent contractors, but rather paying them through cash-only, off-the-books transactions or payments to intermediaries and shell companies.

ARMONK, NY—Natural gas hookups are coming back to Westchester County after a fourand- a-half-year pause. Con Edison is set to end the moratorium affecting most of the county at the start of next month, according to an announcement reported by the Building & Realty Institute (BRI). The moratorium on gas installations— which didn’t affect existing users—began in March 2019 as demand outpaced supply.

In 2002, the New York State Legislature attempted to address the problem of perpetually late payments to contractors and subcontractors in the private sector by enacting the Prompt Payment Act (Sections 756-758 of the General Business Law). Aside from setting forth a schedule by which time payments to contractors and subcontractors need to be made, it provided a mechanism (an “expedited arbitration”) to have undisputed sums paid, and permitted an unpaid contractor who followed the notice requirements of the statute to suspend work— notwithstanding that the applicable construction contract may specifically prohibit such suspension.

Next Gen Leaders Profiles of the Industry’s New Generation Taylor Reilly Age: 23 Louis G. Nappi Scholarship received: 2018, 2019 Title & Employer: Wholesale Florist, Alders Wholesale Florist, Cortlandt Manor, NY Undergraduate Studies & Degree: University of Rhode Island, a Bachelor’s of Science in Plant Sciences—Ornamental Horticulture Favorite Course: Field Plant Identification Reason for this

ALBANY—As construction throughout much of New York State begins to wind down with winter weather setting in, New York State officials recently highlighted the year-end results of several initiatives designed to keep highway workers and motorists safe throughout New York State. These include a new work zone speed enforcement pilot program, a partnership between state transportation agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement entities, and a new law designed to better protect motorists in disabled vehicles.

The decision in Secretary of Labor v. Ward Vessel & Exchange Corporation reminds us that construction companies must have adequate lock-out/ tag-out systems in place to prevent injuries to their employees, including during the servicing of such equipment. The decision arose from a Jan. 23, 2021 incident in which Ward Vessel & Exchanger Corporation’s employee had the tips of his fingers pinched in a plate rolling machine as his supervisor, who was troubleshooting a power problem, activated the equipment. Following the reporting of the accident, OSHA’s Compliance Safety and Health Officer Javier Fernandez appeared and conducted an investigation. He inspected the equipment (a Roundo plate rolling machine) and conducted interviews of Ward’s employees.