ALBANY — The Albany Convention Center Authority says it
has struck a deal with local trade unions to head off potential labor unrest
and speed the $66.5 million project to completion on time and budget.
The authority's board voted unanimously on
Friday morning to approve a project labor agreement that could save it as much
as $400,000 in costs — including as much as $164,000 from using four, 10-hour
workdays when daylight allows, said John LaRow, a vice president for Gilbane
Building Co., the construction manager on the project.
Broadly, a PLA governs the terms of employment on large
construction projects with many different skilled workers. Its terms will apply
to both union and non-union contractors working on the 84,000-square-foot
Albany Capital Center, which will rise on the 1.4 acres surrounded by Eagle,
Howard and Wendell streets and the pedestrian walkway from Times Union Center
to Empire State Plaza.
The authority on Friday also announced the
formal address of the project: 55 Eagle St.
Construction is expected to begin as soon as
next month and stretch over 22 months.
Among the provisions of the PLA are a
no-strike and lock-out clause and one that allows the construction manager to
schedule voluntary make-up days for time lost to foul weather on Saturdays
without paying overtime.
Authority Chairman Gavin Donohue said certainty about
when the work will be done is crucial to the authority's ability to begin
marketing the facility and booking conventions.
"We are committed to building this and completing it
in summer 2016," he said.
Jeff Stark, president of Greater Capital Region Building
and Construction Trades Council, welcomed the pact.
"There were times that we didn't think that this
project would ever go forward," Stark told authority board members Friday.
"We just thank you and are appreciative for the work."
Source: TimesUnion.com
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