A coalition of labor unions sharply criticized Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's $13.1 billion school construction proposal yesterday, saying it included $1.5 billion for projects that the group said would skirt wage laws and violate other workers' rights.þþThe coalition, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, said the city's Department of Education had repeatedly violated such laws in recent years while renovating leased school buildings owned by private landlords. þþÿThe Department of Education contends that they do not have to pay prevailing wages because they claim these are not public works projects, these are private projects,ÿ said Paul Fernandes, a trades council spokesman. State law requires local governments to pay the ÿprevailing wageÿ on public works projects. þþThe proposed projects that the group criticized include $1.15 billion of construction on leased school properties and $350 million allocated for the development of charter schools run by nonprofit groups. þþThe trades council's president, Edward J. Malloy, issued a statement saying the plan ÿessentially puts a `union labor and responsible contractors need not apply' sign on $1.5 billion of public work by encouraging landlords and contractors who engage in unsafe and illegal practices.ÿ þþEducation officials said they were perplexed by the criticism but did not specifically answer the allegations. þþÿIt's absolutely baffling that the Building and Construction Trades Council does not support a $13.1 billion investment that puts the interests and future of our children first,ÿ said Jerry Russo, press secretary to Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein. þþMr. Russo said education officials had been in discussions with the trades council about its concerns. He said it was regrettable that the trades council had decided to ÿrun to the mediaÿ instead of continuing the discussion of the leasing issue.þþMr. Fernandes said the trades council had collected evidence of past violations at school construction sites, including the new Eleanor Roosevelt High School on East 76th Street, which is in leased space. ÿWe had child labor being used on the job,ÿ he said.þþMr. Russo said that there was no basis for such a claim, but that if evidence existed, the department would seek appropriate action.þþThe trades council has also complained about construction of the new Information Technology High School in a leased building in Long Island City, Queens. The city comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr., issued a subpoena in August requiring the Department of Education to provide documents related to that project. þþÿThere were a number of prevailing wage concerns,ÿ said Jeff Simmons, a spokesman for Mr. Thompson. Mr. Simmons said that the department supplied ÿlimited informationÿ and that the comptroller's investigation was still under way. þþ
Source: NY Times
