Electrical contractor hearing draws fire

A Suffolk electrical trade group goes to state court Monday to try to stop an Islip Town public hearing on a proposal to require state-approved apprenticeship programs as part of all large-scale commercial developments.

A Brookhaven attorney, Garrett Swenson, representing the Suffolk County Electrical Contractors Association, told the town in a letter Friday he would apply Monday for a temporary restraining order in the Supreme Court at Central Islip.

His letter argues the Town Board "is proceeding in excess of its authority and otherwise unlawfully."

Outgoing Democrats on the town board voted two weeks ago to hold the hearing at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Similar laws exist in other municipalities such as Oyster Bay, Huntington, Brookhaven and Long Beach. The requirement to have a New York State-registered apprenticeship program would apply to contractors working on commercial developments of 100,000 square feet and larger.

Gene Parrington, a Democrat who works for Local 25 IBEW, introduced the measure. He said it was first and foremost about safety, but also was a way to help retain some benefits when out-of-town contractors bring crews into town, then leave without any money flowing back into the local economy.

The issue has sparked a firestorm in Islip, where Heartland Town Square developer Gerald Wolkoff opposes the move.

Heartland is the only large proposed development in the works in Islip that would be affected. Wolkoff is among several on the industry side who argue the law is anti-competitive, will increase construction costs, chase development away and hurt job opportunities. He vowed to fill the Town Hall hearing with locals from Brentwood who, he says, would be disadvantaged by the move.

Representatives of other Long Island builders and contractors groups-- the Builders Institute and the Associated Builders and Contractors among them -- also have indicated their opposition and sought to speak.

The issue has galvanized organized labor, with union leaders working to bring dozens of people to the hearing, among them veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who planned to testify about how apprenticeship programs provide a pathway to a trade and a good-paying job.

Outgoing supervisor Phil Nolan said the town attorney would be in court to oppose the restraining order application.

"We're waiting to see what the judge says," Nolan said.

The Nassau/Suffolk Building and Construction Trades Council, representing most Long Island construction unions, plans to have a lawyer in court.Jim Castellane, president of the group, said, "I find it absurd that someone believes they should be able to disrupt public proceedings for their personal gain."

Wolkoff said he didn’t agree with the move to prevent the hearing, but has said he will sue the town if the law passes.

A spokesman for the town said it believed the proposed law was within the bounds of its authority.

"The state gives town supervisors a mandate to ensure safety codes, so we feel very sure we're acting within the mandate given us," he said.