Progress Report (Steagall / Scaffold Law, Section 240 Labor Law)

As indicated during the pitch session(s) and preceding posts, my topic is the move to repeal Section 240 of the New York Labor Law, commonly known as the Scaffold Law. Section 240 both ensures that workers receive the proper safety equipment, and their right to sue in the event that an injury occurs.

Things are progressing at a good clip. Research is done except for one issue with liability insurance rates that I hope to clear up through an interview with a seller of general liability insurance.

The following is a list of the interviews I have conducted, or hope to conduct;

Mike Elmendorf, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, a group pushing for the repeal of Section 240. (spoke for a little while today, scheduled for another chat Friday afternoon)

Working Family's Party, a group directly concerned with issues of this sort (waiting for a call back)

A seller of general liability insurance (looking into who the best options are right now)

Workers: (have conducted an interview with worker Miguel Lagos, not a union worker, and am actively trying to arrange further interviews with unionized workers)

Attorney Kevin Fowler, of Fowler, Rodriguez, Kingsmill, Flint, Gray & Chalos LLP, which specializes in labor cases (conducted, very "lawyer-like" answers, which is good for what it is, will get the color elsewhere)

Essentially, the story is written minus the quotes (unless, of course, someone tells me some revelation, which seems unlikely); it is the story of pro-business groups pushing to gut the law, and pro-worker groups pushing to keep it. Naturally, in NYC, it looks like the pro-business groups are going to win. I am actively pursuing the interviews and see no reason why they should not be forthcoming in the next week or two, right on schedule.

Highlight thus far: Elmendorf repeated a quote (almost verbatim, he must have his talking points memorized) I'd read elsewhere on the web: speaking of the Scaffold Law: the job-killing law places a financial burden on businesses in New York, driving up the cost of liability insurance and in some cases making it impossible to even secure liability coverage. By some estimates, it adds $10,000 to the cost of building a house in upstate New York.

Seems a little sensationalized, and that's why I'm looking into general liability insurance prices.

The video component of my article is almost finished save for some music I am making for the background and some final editing.