Though two dozen construction unions’ contracts were renewed this summer with revised terms, according to Crain’s the biggest changes are yet to come.

Operating engineers, painters and steamfitters, among other unions, agreed to unprecedented concessions amidst the faltering economy, helping to ensure that owners will continue to call upon them for construction work.

But Real Estate Board of New York members and others are upset that wages for carpenters and concrete workers were cut 20 percent only for residential and hotel projects of up to 16 and 20 stories, respectively. [more]

New York’s building contractors have voted to end a more than century-old pact to use only union labor on construction sites as a June 30 deadline nears for building trades contract negotiations in the city. According to Crain’s, Louis Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employers’ Association, said yesterday that his board of governors voted to end the New York Plan for the Resolution of Jurisdictional Disputes, which is set to expire Dec. 31 but has always been extended in the past. The long-time agreement, with the Building and Construction Trades Council, requires contractors to hire only union workers and helps to resolve disputes between unions so that work is never interrupted during projects. [more]

New York’s construction industry may need to brace itself for major changes come June 30, 2011, when 30 construction unions have expiring contracts. Major developers say they won’t start building again without significant cuts in their labor costs, with benefit and wage savings of 20 percent or more, the Daily News reported. Nonunion contractors are improving their skills and working on Manhattan properties that have previously been union-built. And union contractors — faced with a 20 percent unemployment rate — have accepted work-rule changes and wage freezes on a project-by-project basis, but they don’t want to commit to permanent changes, according to the Daily News. Comments

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September brought the steepest rise seen in months in filings by frustrated lenders and claims by contractors on distressed real estate properties in Manhattan, although the numbers still remain below the recent highs. The number of lenders filing mortgage-related liens, generally consisting of foreclosure lawsuits, doubled in September to 15 from August, while the number of contractors filing mechanic’s liens rose to 286 in the same time period, marking a 25 percent jump, according to new data provided to The Real Deal from research firm PropertyShark.com. While the increases in September were substantial, both figures remain below their peak levels seen in the recent down cycle. The greatest number of mortgage-related liens filed in a month was 26 in July 2008, and March 2009 saw the most activity for mechanic’s liens, when 371 were filed in Manhattan, the figures show. more

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