Elizabeth Crowley of BTEA supports 561-A, 562, and 869-A but opposes 11-A

Good afternoon, Chair Gennaro, the members of the committee.

I know Council Member Harvey Epstein was here and the other.

Yeah, he's talking to witnesses outside.

He's further interrogating them.

And all the council members on the committee and the committee staff, thank you for the good work you do, your commitment of public service, the environment, and cleaner air.

And thank you for allowing me to testify today and this opportunity to speak.

My name is Elizabeth Crowley, and I'm here today.

I am the president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers Association.

I have our director of member services here as well, Samuel Eludo.

The BTA is a union contractor association.

We're an umbrella association that covers over 24 separate associations.

And together, there's over 1,200 contractors that we represent.

Many are small family-owned businesses.

Many are also MW.

and emerging contractors.

We share the Council's commitment to cleaner air.

We support the core reforms in Intro 561A as well as Intro 562 and proposed Intro 869A, but we cannot support Intro 11A

as drafted.

Our written testimony submitted today is more extensive and includes recommendations for each bill.

Our union contractors are proud to be paying higher wages and they are among the safest and most are community-minded employees, employers,

and the best in their class, best in the industry.

And we're proud of that.

We're proud of the high standards our contractors set, not only for themselves, but their whole entire workforce.

We live in your districts.

Many of us are small businesses, as I said earlier, and we really care.

Liz, please continue.

You get the former council member bonus.

Thank you.

Thank you.

What's that?

With the cost of doing business in the city.

My council told me not to say that, but after I said it.

I appreciate this.

Won't be too much longer.

But with the cost of doing business in the city so high, our contractors are very conscientious about wasting resources when their trucks are...

And it's often because the engine is needed to do a job, like running a lift gate, lighting the job site, powering a crane,

a pump compressor, generator, the warning lights that protect a work zone, and even the decontamination showers that OSHA requires.

For those that are working on asbestos and lead abated jobs.

These functions cannot always be shut off between cycles without creating safety risks.

However, our contractors are often penalized for doing the work that is required of their job.

Intro 561A's new processing device definition is a good step.

But it covers only equipment mechanically connected to the engine.

We asked the council to define operational idling to include traffic control devices, generators, decontamination units, and the pauses safe operation requires,

and to presume that when it is operating,

It is visible work underway.

Drivers waiting to enter a job site in extreme cold or heat also need a safe cab.

And to a 561A, let school buses idle for up to 30 minutes below 40 degrees and or at 80 or above.

We believe our workers deserve a comparable.

exception.

We know fundamentally the current enforcement process is really, we believe, unfair.

for our members.

The process encourages community vigilantes who put honest, hardworking union members in danger.

The city bounty has turned enforcement into a business for a few high volume complaints.

And we also, you know,

are here to continue to work for the committee.

I was hoping that your colleague could sort of pick up on your testimony.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, because I'm going to get in trouble.

And I'm closing thanking you again, Chair Gennaro and Councilmember Epstein and the committee.

Okay.

We'll let you take over there.

So I'm going to have to give a, you know.

I'm just saying, some of the environmental people, I've got to give a little more time.

It's great to see you.

It's great to see you.