Legislative & Government Affairs
2027 Legislative Agenda
As the New York State Building Trades develop our
legislative priorities for the 2027 Legislative Session, we remain focused on
policies that strengthen New York’s construction industry, protect the men and
women who build our state, and ensure that public investments create
good-paying, family-sustaining careers.
New York will continue to make significant investments in
housing, transportation, energy, economic development, and other critical
infrastructure. The Building Trades believe these investments should not only
build the physical infrastructure our communities need, but support a highly
skilled workforce, responsible contractors, strong labor standards, and
economic opportunity for working families throughout the state.
Our 2027 Legislative Agenda will focus on four core
priorities:
o Advancing
Wage and Labor Standards on Publicly Funded Projects
- Strengthen
prevailing wage protections to ensure that workers on projects
supported by significant public resources receive middle class wages and
benefits
- New
York's existing prevailing wage framework already recognizes that Article
8 applies not only to traditional public work but also to certain private
construction projects receiving substantial public subsidies. The Building
Trades will continue working to ensure that these protections keep pace
with the evolving ways in which New York finances economic development,
housing, infrastructure, and other construction.
o Protecting
the Rights of the Construction Workforce
- Preserve
meaningful accountability for unscrupulous contractors and
employers.
- Combat
wage theft, worker misclassification, and other forms of
exploitation that allow unscrupulous contractors to gain an unfair
competitive advantage over responsible employers.
o Maintaining
Strong Labor Standards in Public Procurement
- Preserve
New York's longstanding public procurement protections and ensure
that changes intended to accelerate construction or modernize procurement
do not come at the expense of workers, taxpayers, or responsible
contractors.
- Maintain
prevailing wage and other labor standards regardless of procurement
method. Alternative delivery models should not become a mechanism for
circumventing the labor protections traditionally associated with public
construction.
- Support
the use of Project Labor Agreements and other proven labor
standards where appropriate to promote a reliable supply of skilled
labor, workforce stability, apprenticeship opportunities, and the timely
completion of major public projects.
- Ensure
a level playing field for responsible contractors so that companies
that comply with wage, safety, apprenticeship, and other workforce
requirements are not placed at a competitive disadvantage by contractors
that cut costs through lower labor standards or noncompliance.
o Investing
in New York's Infrastructure & Workforce
- Support
robust state capital funding for transportation, water and sewer
systems, schools, public buildings, energy infrastructure, housing, and
other critical public assets.
- Expand
pathways into the skilled trades by connecting major capital
investments with registered apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and
workforce-development opportunities that help New Yorkers enter
middle-class construction careers.
The Building Trades' 2027 agenda is grounded in a
straightforward principle: when New York invests public resources in
construction and economic development, those investments should build both
strong communities and a strong middle class.
