NYC construction, real estate groups negotiate reopening agreement

Construction and real estate groups are hashing out an agreement on how to reopen certain private construction sites once the state lifts its stay-at-home order in New York City, reports The Real Deal.

The Building Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, the Building Trades Employers Association and the Real Estate Board of New York are negotiating terms for sites where the labor is all union, or a mix of union and non-union but a collective bargaining agreement is in place.

The groups are considering staggering start times at sites between 6 and 10 a.m. and potentially changing the work week from Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday with 10-hour days, according to a memo reviewed by The Real Deal. Workers who take on second or third shifts would be paid a 5 percent premium on wages and benefits. The changes would remain in effect for at least 60 days after the state’s state-at-home order is lifted for construction.

The potential agreement offers a glimpse into how general contractors and owners are thinking about restarting construction sites that have been shut down for nearly two months.

To reopen, regions must meet certain criteria — laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — including a 14-day decline in hospitalizations, or fewer than 15 hospitalizations per day; and a 14-day drop in coronavirus-related hospital deaths, or fewer than five deaths per day.

The state released mandatory rules on May 13 for construction sites reopening, which include maintaining at least six feet among workers at all times “unless safety of the core activity requires a shorter distance,” providing employees with protective equipment and having no more than one worker per 250 square feet while doing interior construction.

The state also requires that occupancy in confined spaces, like elevators and hoists, never exceed 50 percent capacity. All workers are required to wear face coverings when within less than six feet of each other.