Community impact focus of anti-tax break rally NEW PALTZ — The Rochester-based Wilmorite Corp. is seeking huge tax breaks for the off-campus luxury student housing complex the company has planned for SUNY New Paltz students. Not so fast, say leaders from CSEA, the Town of New Paltz and other advocacy groups. During a recent rally, speakers spoke about their opposition to the proposal and renewed the call for clawback measures to protect taxpayers from companies that accept tax breaks but fail to deliver jobs. “The Wilmorite project is representative of what’s wrong with our counties’ industrial development agencies,” said Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, who participated in the event as part of the union’s Strong Communities Work initiative. “Tax breaks have become a given for new companies coming in, with little focus on these companies’ delivery of sustainable jobs that pay a living wage. Meanwhile, the mom and pop small businesses that have been in our communities for years are struggling, yet receiving no help.” The rally also drew New Paltz Town Supervisor Susan Zimet, Ron Deutsch of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness and Ulster County Legislators Hector Rodriguez and Ken Wishnick. There has been strong opposition to the Wilmorite project in the community, with residents and elected officials objecting to the Ulster County IDA’s ability to implement tax breaks without town officials having any say over its potential impact on the town budget. “We have union members who Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, at podium, calls for accountability in county industrial development agencies’ tax breaks for corporations. work in New Paltz, whether for the state or local government, and we have many members who work elsewhere but live there,” said Riccaldo. “They see the strain this project may put on town services, and they have a real problem with the fact that they have no say. As union members and community residents, we’re saying it’s time for Wilmorite to be a good neighbor.” Deutsch noted that Wilmorite’s record upstate is that of a bad neighbor. Wilmorite owed Rochester about $22 million in back payments on Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) deals, loans that city had to forgive once the company abandoned a project there. Wilmorite’s proposed housing in New Paltz is projected to create a mere eight jobs once construction is complete. — Jessica Ladlee Legislators talk layoffs, nursing home sale GOSHEN — Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and the Orange County Legislature’s Republican majority say massive layoffs in the county work force are in the works if a legislative supermajority does not vote to sell the county-owned Valley View nursing home. Even if a sale were to be approved, Neuhaus has not ruled out further layoffs, citing a looming budget deficit he’s estimated at $60 million. Roughly 110 county employees have applied for a retirement incentive negotiated between CSEA and the county, said Local President Sabina Shapiro. CSEA had twice brought the idea of a retirement incentive to contract negotiations, only to be rebuffed, but Shapiro and Neuhaus recently agreed on a deal that would take some of the county’s higher paid, long-term employees out of the budget equation. “This incentive gives employees the choice of leaving county service on their terms, while providing county leaders the budgetary savings they are seeking,” Shapiro said. As this edition went to press, legislators had scheduled a public hearing on Valley View. An attempt earlier this year to sell the facility was ruled to be illegal by a state Supreme Court justice, who said the vote to transfer Valley View to a local development corporation for sale lacked a required supermajority. Shapiro said CSEA’s advocacy for the retirement incentive, along with many vacant positions that will be unfunded, go a long way toward dealing with Neuhaus’ projected deficit. She said that massive layoffs would create an unprecedented strain on already lean county departments. Neuhaus is expected to soon release his proposed 2015 budget, which he’s said publicly will “reshape government.” — Jessica Ladlee Crockett, activists join People’s Climate March Metropolitan Region President Lester Crockett and Metropolitan Region activists joined nearly 500,000 other marchers for the People’s Climate March in Manhattan on Sept. 21. The march, the largest demonstration for climate action in history, brought together more than 1,000 organizations from around the world, including labor, community, environmental, human rights, faith and arts organizations. The march coincided with a special climate summit this week at the United Nations. Labor supporters of the march believe that good jobs could be created while addressing the climate crisis by using environmentally clean, renewable energy sources. 6 The Work Force October 2014
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