Page 4 - CooperatorNews New York Expo 2021

4 COOPERATORNEWS — OCTOBER 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM PULSE Industry Pulse Events *New Location and Start Time* Coopera- torEvents Expo Returns to NYC this Fall! coopexpofall.com CooperatorEvents is thrilled to an- nounce the return of our in-person Ex- pos! This fall, the CooperatorEvents New York Expo will take place at the Javits Convention Center on Thursday, October 28, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We have an exciting lineup of exhibitors ea- ger to interact in person, covering every aspect of multifamily living, from board governance, financial planning, and com- munity engagement to roof repair, energy management, and lawncare. Like our past in-person Expos, the CooperatorEvents New York Fall Expo 2021 will include a full day of free workshops, seminars, network- ing, and more. And as always, registra- tion and attendance are FREE to all! Visit www.coopexpofall.com to see who’s exhib- iting, get more information, and register as an exhibitor or an attendee. This will be a must-attend event for all condo, co-op, and HOA board members, property managers, residents, and real estate professionals in the Empire State! We look forward to see- ing you there in person! Law & Legislation Labor Laws for Labor Day The New York Governor’s Office re- leased news of Governor Kathy Hochul’s Labor Day signing of four pieces of leg- islation intended to help workers in the state. Among the bills are one that requires payment of prevailing wages to building service employees at high-end co-ops and condos, and one that extends shared work benefits. “On Labor Day every year, we’re re- minded of the vital contributions of or- ganized labor to building New York, and that’s why I’m signing four pieces of leg- islation to help workers thrive across our state,” Governor Hochul said. “These bills will make sure workers are paid fair wages, receive good benefits, and stay safe on their worksites. Our state is home to a long and proud legacy of supporting working New Yorkers, and we’re working to bolster that for the future.” Senate Bill 6350-A/Assembly Bill 7434- A requires co-ops and condos that receive the 467-a tax abatement to pay their build- ing service employees prevailing wages. Any building with an average unit assessed value of more than $60,000 is subject to this law, with the exception of those with fewer than 30 units that have an average unit assessed value of $60,000 to $100,000. According to the Governor’s release, the New York State Department of Labor has authority to investigate and enforce this law. Senator Brian Benjamin said of the new law, “Luxury apartment buildings that can afford to provide prevailing wages and ben- efits to building service workers should be required to do so. These essential workers put their lives on the line everyday during the pandemic to keep New Yorkers safe and should be treated with respect. I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for rec- ognizing their importance to the New York City economy by signing this bill.” Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa added, “Public funds should never be used to subsidize low-wage jobs or undercut the industry standard. This is a great day for essential workers who risked their health and that of their families to finally earn the wages and benefits they deserve.” The other new law is Senate Bill 4049/ Assembly Bill 5678. This legislation chang- es the cap on shared work benefits from 26 straight weeks to an amount of time equal to 26 weeks’ worth of benefits. Under a shared work program, employers can allow employees to receive partial Unemploy- ment Insurance (UI) benefits while work- ing reduced hours, but claimants can only receive 26 weeks of benefits, regardless of what the claimant’s maximum benefit en- titlement is under UI. The new legislation allows claimants to collect the reduced UI benefit under a shared work program un- til they have hit their maximum benefit amount under traditional UI. Assemblymember Latoya Joyner said of the benefits bill, “New York is commit- ted to preserving jobs, retaining experi- enced employees, and ensuring employers are best positioned as the economy looks to rebound. With this legislation, NY will extend the length of time that an eligible claimant shall be paid benefits under the shared work program. This program is a benefit to both employers and employees alike. As chair of the NYS Assembly Labor committee & sponsor of this legislation, I’m pleased the Governor has signed this into law.” Speaking about both bills, SEIU Local 32BJ President Kyle Bragg said, “On this Labor Day, 32BJ commends Governor Kathy Hochul for signing legislation to lift up New York’s workers with better wages & benefits and strengthened protections. More than 2,000 building service workers who risked their lives to keep New Yorkers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic will finally start earning wages that can sustain their families. The pandemic also laid bare the critical importance of a robust safety- net for workers during economic turbu- lence. Maximizing the number of weeks that workers can collect benefits through the NYSDOL’s Shared Work Program helps both workers and employers. We look for- ward to continuing our work with the leg- islature and the Governor for the benefit of all workers.” Awards & Recognition Sarah Schnepf Named Outstanding CSR of the Year Mackoul Risk Solutions, a provider of insurance products in New York and New Jersey, announces via press release that the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research has named Sarah Schnepf as the 2021 Outstanding CSR of the Year for the state of New York. Schnepf is a senior commercial account manager at Mackoul Risk Solutions. She started her career working in the insur- ance industry in 2005 as a customer service representative (CSR) in Life Insurance and then switched over to Property & Casualty in 2013. Schnepf has received her Proper- ty & Casualty License, Accident, Life and Health License, and Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR) designa- tion and is currently working towards her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. To qualify for this top state honor, ex- plains the release, Schnepf submitted the winning essay on the Challenges in the In- surance Industry: “Each year the insurance industry changes, but this year was different. Not only did we have to prepare for the hard market, we also had to adjust to the chang- ing umbrella market as well as the impacts of COVID-19 on the insurance industry. We have navigated the hard market before and have been successful in explaining to our clients why their premiums were on the rise. However, the hard market was not our biggest challenge this year. We saw the um- brella market change dramatically, carriers pulled out of the programs causing rates to double, if not triple and some programs fell apart. As news broke of these changes, CO- VID-19 reared its ugly head and from there on, we knew this would not be like any year we have seen before.” Additionally, Schnepf was selected for having demonstrated outstanding service and professionalism within the insurance community. “Schnepf was chosen as a state winner for exemplifying the characteristics and qualifications required to be eligible continued on page 30 YOU’LL LEARN SO MUCH YOUR HEAD COULD EXPLODE. (Our lawyers said we had to warn you.) COOPERATOR EVENTS EXPO 2021 WHERE BUILDINGS MEET SERVICES JACOB K. JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER — THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 10–4:30 FREE REGISTRATION: COOPEXPOFALL.COM