Unions look forward to Galloo Island jobs

Union officials relish the job possibilities presented by the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm.

Upstate NY Power Corp. has said the 84-turbine, 252-megawatt project would create 24 permanent jobs and 200 to 250 construction jobs during the three summers of construction.

The project has been criticized for supporting mostly construction jobs, which may last a season or two.

"No matter what it is — Alcoa or new office space, we are always moving along," said Dennis C. Affinati, business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 910. "I don't see how you can ignore jobs like that."

IBEW 910, like other construction unions in the north country, has had workers at Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County and other wind projects in Clinton County. The union has wired more than 500 wind turbines, Mr. Affinati said.

"We're one of the few locals that have done that number of turbines," he said.

Union workers collected about $2 million in wages and another million in benefits in two years on Maple Ridge. There were 72 union employees on site in 2005 and 44 in 2006.

Mr. Affinati expects close to 70 jobs for IBEW 910 workers on the Galloo Island project.

"It depends on how they manage the job," he said. "They could have a few employees over a longer period of time."

The site plan for Galloo Island Wind Farm says the housing for construction workers will hold up to 130 people. Typically, about 50 to 100 workers will be on the island during the three construction seasons, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The peak is expected to be in 2011, with 125 workers on site.

The project, though about the same size as Wolfe Island Wind Farm, will take longer to build. The Wolfe Island project, which has 86 turbines, was built from summer 2008 to June 2009. Unlike Wolfe Island, construction on Galloo Island will not continue through the winters.

Construction labor peaked at about 400 workers in November 2008, according to Transalta, which operates the wind farm. About 271 person-years of work was recorded during construction. The facility currently employs eight full-time people, including wind technicians, a site supervisor and office administrator.

But a wind farm's full-time employees doesn't necessarily equal all of the workers involved in the year-to-year operation.

William M. Shelly, District 3 business representative for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 545, Syracuse, said members of his union work full time at Maple Ridge every summer doing maintenance. And that's apart from the full-time project employees.

"It's a big job for our membership," Mr. Shelly said. "Over the summer, we have 15 to 25 members working there."

IUOE 545 had 30 to 60 workers on the Maple Ridge project for both years, operating heavy equipment and surveying.

Mr. Shelly estimated that the Galloo Island project will use 60 or more. "It's going to be a lot of our employees on that project," he said.

The union with the highest number of employees on wind farm projects is IBEW 1249, East Syracuse. Its members hang wires for the collection system and transmission line and build the substation and switchyard.

On the Maple Ridge project, about 100 to 200 members worked both years, totaling 229,000 man-hours and collecting $7 million in salary with more in benefits, said William C. Boire, business manager.

IBEW 1249 covers all of upstate New York, but when there aren't electrical line jobs in the region, they'll go out of state.

"Last summer, many of our workers went out of state to do work," he said.

And 50 to 60 workers didn't have jobs.

Mr. Boire guessed that 100 to 150 workers will work on Galloo Island — and for some, that will be closer to home.

"They hear about a job near home and leave jobs farther away to get on our referral books," Mr. Boire said.

He said the work shouldn't be criticized for being short-term. Many people have seasonal jobs, Mr. Boire said, including home builders and landscapers.

"During construction jobs, look at the small diners or businesses or restaurants," he said. "All those people welcome those workers with open arms."

Richard L. Daddario, business manager for Laborers International Union of North America Local 322, Massena, expects another 25 to 40 jobs from the project.

"It will be a very labor-intensive project because of the location and weather conditions," he said.

The laborers union counts site preparation and concrete work among its tasks.

Through different contractors, the union had 35 to 40 workers on the Maple Ridge project.

"Most of the contractors bidding on this work with us anyway," Mr. Daddario said. "We sell trained labor. There's not really a shortage of personnel."

To ensure most workers are local, Upstate NY Power Corp. and local unions are negotiating a project labor agreement.

"We've always wanted to use local labor," said Robert W. Burgdorf, attorney for Nixon Peabody, Rochester, which represents Upstate NY Power.

"The real limit with using local labor is where there are not people qualified locally to do specific tasks," Mr. Burgdorf said.

He pointed to laying underwater cable as one task that may take more specialized training.

Federal and now state laws require paying prevailing wages if a developer is receiving financial help from those government bodies.

That increases the likelihood of using local unions as the source of workers. If the developer uses local union employees, it doesn't have to add room and board to those wages and benefits.

The unions want to see this project as part of its slate of projects in the next three years.

"I'm not an economist, but I do understand that if you invest $700 million in a community, the community will reap the benefits," Mr. Affinati said.