Westchester County Labor Committee Meeting: EV Charging, Lease-Out & Hospitalization - May 27, 2026
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Westchester County Labor Committee Meeting - May 27, 2026
The Westchester County Board of Legislators Labor Committee met on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 2:08 PM in the Committee Room at the Michaelian Office Building, White Plains, NY. Chair Jenn Puja presided. The transcript also shows Legislators Williams Johnson and Barr participating, while the minutes list Legislator Puja, Legislator Clements, Legislator Nolan, and Legislator Ulaj as present and Legislator Tubiolo as absent. The committee discussed EV charging station financing, lease-out legislation, and mandatory hospitalization coverage requirements, and honored the memory of labor advocate Dylan Baye.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of the May 4, 2026 joint meeting were approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
EV Charging Station Projects
- Rich McSpedon reported on a county proposal to invest approximately $5.5 million in EV charging stations across 24 municipalities, with examples including White Plains (7 locations, 75 ports) and Yonkers (6 locations, 60 ports).
- Chair Puja raised questions about whether the county's project labor agreement (PLA) law, including the $250,000 trigger, and prevailing wage requirements would apply to these county-funded projects, and how funds would be distributed among municipalities.
- Legislators noted that installations would be on municipal-owned property (e.g., parking lots, libraries, DPW lots), and discussed whether a PLA would be with the county or each municipality.
- Irvington and Bronxville were mentioned as municipalities pursuing projects; the list of 24 municipalities was requested for follow-up.
Lease Out Legislation
- The committee discussed draft "lease out" legislation that would require project labor agreements, prevailing wage, and apprenticeship standards for construction work on county-owned property leased to private entities (e.g., parking lots, rooftops for solar panels, Playland, Westchester County Airport).
- Chair Puja explained it reverses the "lease back" legislation previously passed, and provided two draft versions created with ChatGPT for review.
- Members expressed support, emphasizing the importance of protecting public property and ensuring fair labor standards on publicly owned assets.
Mandatory Hospitalization Legislation
- Discussion centered on proposed legislation requiring all contractors and subcontractors on county-funded or induced projects to provide hospitalization coverage to employees.
- Chair Puja noted similar state legislation exists and discussed applying the requirement through the Westchester County IDA using tax incentives as leverage.
- Legislators raised concerns about subcontractor oversight, third-party compliance, and random site checks.
- Members expressed strong support for the measure, comparing it to the county's leadership on earned sick leave.
Other Business
- A member introduced a memo for potential legislation to protect the workforce from AI replacement, specifying that AI should be used only as a tool. Legal counsel reportedly indicated AI would likely serve as a research aid.
- Members shared anecdotes about automation in garbage trucks and delivery robots, with support for protecting jobs.
- Anthony Reda from Westchester Community College reported no updates on prior business.
- The committee recognized the sudden passing of Dylan Baye from 32BJ, a longtime labor advocate, and adjourned in his honor.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes approved.
- Adjourned at 2:43 PM on motion by Legislator Nolan, seconded by Legislator Clements, with all present voting aye.
- Follow-up actions: Rich McSpedon will supply the list of 24 municipalities and answer questions on PLA applicability, prevailing wage, and money flow; Chair Puja will connect with Peter McCart; lease-out draft will be shared and forwarded to legal; mandatory hospitalization will be discussed with the IDA; AI memo will be revisited after law department response.
- The next meeting is planned for July, with scheduling to be announced.
Meeting Transcript
I'm just putting four in my car. You know, I don't know. Is it 32 months? This meeting is being recorded and summarized. Thank you. Oh bad. Once I get them in a bad moon, I mightn't be in a bad mood for you. You know, I like you. That's why I came up. All right, I'm gonna call this meeting to order of the committee on labor at two o'clock. And I am here. Vice Chair Emiliana Uli. Here. Legislator Chubiolo. Uh Vice Chair Clement. Here Legislator Nolan. Here's Chair Goshi. We are also joined by Legislator Williams Johnson. Hi. Thank you, madam chair. And we are joined by legislator Barr. Thank you for joining us. And before we jump in, we will uh make sure everyone else has participating online or in person is noticed. So I'll pass it to Richie. Good afternoon, everyone. All can make you good afternoon interns. Glad you guys could all make it. And Anthony, if you'd like to unmute and introduce yourself, please. Absolutely. Good afternoon, all Anthony Redda here at Westchester Community College. Thanks for joining us. Absolutely. Okay, so we do have a quorum. So I am going to open the meeting by looking for approval on the minutes from Monday, May 4th at one when we were joint with legislation. Second. Okay. I am a yes. Legislator Ulai. Yes. Legislator Clemens. Yes. Legislator Nolan. Yes. Legislator Thubiolo is not here. And Chair Gosh is not. Can we check on that? If she's not noticed, can she vote? Yeah. I think she's not doing person forum. Oh she is on her way here.
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