PLATTSBURGH -- Union leaders want local contractors who pay area-standard wages for work on the Nova Bus facility.

Plattsburgh-Saranac Lake Building and Construction Trades Council President John Donoghue was joined by eight officials from local unions at Monday's meeting of the County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors.

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Each carried a placard that read, "Tell Nova Bus Clinton County tax dollars are for Local Jobs for Local People' with area standards (wages and benefits)."

IDA Board member Tom Millea, former president of the Trades Council, made a motion to allow public comment at the beginning of the meeting.

Donoghue, who represents 3,000 area workers, said his members are not being allowed to work on the project but will have to support it with their tax dollars.

"We're just asking to be part of our community and to build these things at a fair wage," Donoghue said.

Millea said part of his job is to fight for local work when a project comes to town. He expressed concern about who is building the plant and where the money will go if outside contractors and workers are used.

Philip Dobie, an organizer with Local 106 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, said that in addition to better wages and benefits, unions offer apprenticeship programs to ensure a continued supply of qualified, trained workers.

Donoghue said the Trades Council will continue to push its agenda.

"We are going to follow this to the end, even if we have to have labor unrest at the job site," Donoghue said after the meeting.

MORE CONTRACTS

The Nova Bus plant is being built by VIP Structures Inc. of Syracuse. VIP Development Associates President Charles Wallace Jr. said VIP Structures has awarded two construction contracts so far, both to Syracuse-area contractors.

The site-preparation work will be done by J.K. Tobin of Jamesville, and the heating, ventilation and cooling will be done by Century Heating and Air Conditioning of Syracuse, a design-build company that was brought on board very early in the design phase.

Wallace said the preparation work involves about six people operating heavy equipment to help the site meet its grading plan, dig and slope the detention ponds and create the driveways, parking areas and sub-base for the buildings. He said Century has been asked to use as many local vendors as possible for jobs like duct work, piping and sheet metal.