Chris Collins Speaks Out Against IDA Bill
by Matt at Apr 22nd, 2009
The IDA Reform bill, which passed in the state Senate earlier this month, was called “the worst bill I’ve ever seen,” by Erie County Executive Chris Collins.
For those of you unfamiliar with thi bill, amongst other things, it would require prevailing wages to be paid on projects financed by public industrial-development agencies (IDAs). For those who need help with the math, that would obviously increase the cost of construction significantly.
Collins cited a recent report by the state Economic Development Council that said union-wage requirements would increase labor costs for upstate construction projects by 57 percent. A study by the Rochester-based Center for Governmental Research found that prevailing-wage mandates would tack on an average of 28 percent to upstate projects, he said.
As someone in the field of architecture, this legislation directly affects me. Increases in construction costs only make this area less attractive to potential developers. Sam Hoyt and Senator Antoine Thompson, lead sponsors of the bill, ought to be thinking about the companies that will build elsewhere for less money and the jobs that will be lost because of this bill, and not so much about the unions they feel beholden to.