Stop Prevailing Wage Legislation in Albany

Save Jobs in Westchester County
Protect New Investment in Our Communities
Stop Prevailing Wage Legislation in Albany!

Westchester’s urban centers are in the midst of a renaissance. New residential projects are transforming Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and White Plains, bringing new residents, new jobs and new opportunities. But proposed Prevailing Wage legislation in Albany would radically increase the cost of private construction projects and could bring all of this to a crashing halt!

Westchester County’s most prominent developers have joined with The Business Council of Westchester and other leading business organizations to strongly oppose state legislation to require the payment of Prevailing Wages on any private construction project receiving any form of state funding support. The Westchester Coalition to Save Smart Development has been formed to speak with a unified voice against the legislation and protect private investment in our communities.

Simply put, imposing Prevailing Wage would drastically inflate the cost of construction projects and deal a crippling blow to private development in Westchester, particularly in our urban centers that for the first time in decades are enjoying a significant revival. Major projects will not go forward, resulting in billions of dollars of lost investment, jobs and residential opportunities.

Prevailing Wage is not Minimum Wage. Rather, it is the term used for wage rates applied to government “public work” projects such as highway, bridge and tunnel construction. Applying this to private construction projects would add a minimum of 30 percent to overall project costs. For example, a laborer would be paid $100 per hour and employee benefits would be covered 100% by the developer.

We can’t afford to make New York any less competitive. Join us in support of job creation, community investment and economic development by saying NO to Prevailing Wage Legislation. Contact your New York State Legislators today.

Want to learn more? Email John Ravitz at JRavitz@thebcw.org with any questions or comments.

“Prevailing Wage would be catastrophic to job creation and economic development in Westchester County, particularly in our urban downtowns, which have made so much progress over the past few years. The effects of Prevailing Wage would be devastating and immediate. Our local governments have worked so hard to strengthen their communities. This would bring it all to a screeching halt.”
– Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester