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Record of Proceedings

Westchester County Labor Committee Meeting - August 5, 2026

Board of Legislators & Committees — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
BodyWestchester County, New York
SessionBoard of Legislators & Committees
DateWednesday, August 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:58

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:04

This meeting is being recorded and summarized.

0:07

Yes.

0:07

Okay.

0:08

We're on the meeting.

0:09

Great.

0:10

Okay.

0:11

I call this meeting to order.

0:13

Um it is 2 04 p.m.

0:16

And I'm going to take attendance.

0:18

I am here as the chair of the labor committee.

0:20

Committee vice chair Uli.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Legislator Tubiolo.

0:25

Ford Vice Chair Clemens.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Legislator Nolan.

0:29

Yeah.

0:29

Chair Gashi.

0:31

Okay.

0:33

Can I first get a motion on the minutes from May 27th?

0:37

Oh, sir.

0:38

Second.

0:40

So since we're all in person, all in favor?

0:42

Aye.

0:42

Aye.

0:43

No one's opposed.

0:44

Okay.

0:44

I'm just gonna check that off.

0:46

And then we can get started.

0:48

So uh welcome.

0:49

Thank you, everyone, for joining us today.

0:51

I like to see a pack table.

0:53

So since we have some familiar faces, but maybe not to everyone.

0:56

Let's just quickly go around, say the name and where you're from or the organization if it's union.

1:01

Um, and then we will get started on our agenda.

1:06

We can start, Pete.

1:08

Hi, Pete Kerr, president of Westchester County Corrections Superior Officers Association.

1:13

Hi, Stephen Torcello, President of Western County Corrections Office Association.

1:17

Hello, Hattie Adams, president of CSEA West Just.

1:21

Uh Chris Franks, President C S C A 9169.

1:26

There you go.

1:26

Joe Ferrens, local 21, business agent.

1:30

Well Marto Saez, uh West's County PBA president.

1:33

Thomas Bowell, Senator Vice President, which is the county PBA.

1:37

Uh Rich McSpendan, business representative, local three IBEW.

1:41

And Florence McHeel, I'm the Secretary Treasurer of Westchester Plant and Central Embody, AFL CIO.

1:51

Okay, thank you.

1:53

So everyone should have a copy of the agenda, and we're gonna go uh in order with our items for discussion.

1:59

And so we'll start with uh Mr.

2:02

McSpedan's uh EV charging station.

2:04

This is carried over from last last time that we started to meet because there has been some more information and articles that were published.

2:11

So Rich, if you want to jump in with that.

2:13

Yes, thank you, Jen.

2:14

Uh I did receive an email from the county um kind of explaining their position.

2:20

I believe it should be full under the PLA agreement.

2:23

Um it was explained that based on the county's PLA law, EV charging station program, uh they do not think the county's PLA requirements automatically apply.

2:34

So this sounds like it's it maybe it's written as if it's an opinion.

2:37

I'd like to get clarity on that.

2:39

Um I'm certainly this is my official pushback.

2:43

I think it should be county dollars are being used for a construction project, even though it's not a county project, it's county dollars going to a each municipality, whichever one it may be, to do a uh construction project in the way of an electrical vehicle charging station.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Labor Relations█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Public Safety███████████████████19%
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████15%
Procedural██████████10%
Personnel Matters█████████9%
Workforce Development██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Westchester County Labor Committee Meeting - August 5, 2026

The Westchester County Labor Committee met on August 5, 2026, at 2:04 p.m. Chair [name not specified] called the meeting to order and took attendance. Multiple union representatives and legislators participated, including members of the Corrections Officers, CSEA, PBA, IBEW, and Plumbers Local 21. The committee approved minutes from May 27, 2026, and discussed several labor-related issues, including prevailing wage requirements for EV charging stations, the county's 51% plumbing ownership rule, a new construction careers program, IDA incentives tied to prevailing wage, and public safety promotions.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes from May 27, 2026: Motion to approve, seconded, and unanimously approved by all present.

Discussion Items

  • EV Charging Station Program (Rich McSpendan, IBEW): Rich raised concerns that county-funded EV charging stations in municipalities may not be subject to the county's Project Labor Agreement (PLA) requirement. The county's legal department (James Silverberg) provided an opinion that the PLA law does not automatically apply to these projects. Rich argued that county dollars should require at minimum prevailing wage and pushed back on the interpretation. The chair will circulate the county's explanation to committee members and follow up on prevailing wage enforcement. Rich will also request certified payrolls from the project in Mount Pleasant.
  • Communications on Labor Legislation (Joe Ferrens, Local 21): Joe discussed the recent change to Westchester's plumbing code that removed the requirement for a master plumber to own at least 51% of a company. He argued that the county's legal reasoning—based on a 20-year-old Rockland County ruling striking down a 40% ownership rule—is flawed, noting that New York City still maintains a 51% rule. Several legislators expressed concern about the process and the legal advice. The chair will share documentation from Local 21 with all county legislators for further review.
  • County Construction Careers Program: Chair introduced a concept to create a pipeline program connecting apprenticeships, schools, the Department of Labor, unions, and the county to improve local hiring in construction. This aligns with recently passed apprenticeship legislation. The committee will explore implementation with unions and community partners.
  • New York State Legislation on IDA Prevailing Wage (Rich McSpendan): Rich highlighted new language attached to the state budget by Senator James Skoufis requiring prevailing wage or a PLA for any project receiving incentives from IDAs in Orange County. He urged Westchester to adopt similar provisions. Committee Vice Chair Oulai noted that the county board cannot directly regulate IDAs—state legislation is needed—but suggested making it a priority in the county's joint legislative package for state delegation. The committee will pursue further discussion.
  • Public Safety Promotions (Well Marto Saez, PBA): The PBA raised the critical shortage of supervisory personnel in the Department of Public Safety, specifically six vacant lieutenant positions out of 20 authorized lines. The shortage has persisted for about four years, impacting training, morale, and operational readiness. The PBA noted that the county has offered excuses such as waiting for a deputy commissioner and funding issues. Legislators acknowledged the issue and will bring it to the Public Safety Committee.
  • Old Business – Reverse Lease Back Legislation (Rich McSpendan): Rich reminded the committee about two versions of legislation he submitted regarding a reverse lease back. The status is unknown; the chair will check with committee coordinator Ethan.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes approved.
  • EV Charging Stations: Chair to circulate legal explanation and investigate prevailing wage enforcement.
  • 51% Plumbing Ownership Rule: Documentation to be shared with all legislators; further investigation into the legal basis and New York City's continued use of the rule.
  • Construction Careers Program: Continued exploration with unions and schools.
  • IDA Prevailing Wage: Committee will work to include this in the county's state legislative package and seek champions in the state delegation.
  • Police Promotions: Issue referred to the Public Safety Committee for further action.
  • Reverse Lease Back: Status update requested from committee coordinator.

The next meeting date will be communicated later; committee typically meets every other month.

Meeting Transcript

This meeting is being recorded and summarized. Yes. Okay. We're on the meeting. Great. Okay. I call this meeting to order. Um it is 2 04 p.m. And I'm going to take attendance. I am here as the chair of the labor committee. Committee vice chair Uli. Here. Legislator Tubiolo. Ford Vice Chair Clemens. Here. Legislator Nolan. Yeah. Chair Gashi. Okay. Can I first get a motion on the minutes from May 27th? Oh, sir. Second. So since we're all in person, all in favor? Aye. Aye. No one's opposed. Okay. I'm just gonna check that off. And then we can get started. So uh welcome. Thank you, everyone, for joining us today. I like to see a pack table. So since we have some familiar faces, but maybe not to everyone. Let's just quickly go around, say the name and where you're from or the organization if it's union. Um, and then we will get started on our agenda. We can start, Pete. Hi, Pete Kerr, president of Westchester County Corrections Superior Officers Association. Hi, Stephen Torcello, President of Western County Corrections Office Association. Hello, Hattie Adams, president of CSEA West Just. Uh Chris Franks, President C S C A 9169. There you go. Joe Ferrens, local 21, business agent. Well Marto Saez, uh West's County PBA president. Thomas Bowell, Senator Vice President, which is the county PBA. Uh Rich McSpendan, business representative, local three IBEW. And Florence McHeel, I'm the Secretary Treasurer of Westchester Plant and Central Embody, AFL CIO. Okay, thank you. So everyone should have a copy of the agenda, and we're gonna go uh in order with our items for discussion. And so we'll start with uh Mr. McSpedan's uh EV charging station.

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