Eastchester REVIEW THE
June 21, 2019 | Vol. 7, Number 25 | www.eastchesterreview.com
Suspectchargedwithattempted murderofcountypoliceofficer
Harmony Park, the first-of-its-kind in the region, is a new adaptive playground and sensory garden installed at Cerebral Palsy of Westchester to benefit both children and adults with autism, cerebral palsy and other disabilities. For more, see page 6.
Legislators introduce measures to strengthen protections for service workers On Monday, legislators Kitley Covill, Catherine Boriga and David Tubiolo introduced new measures that will strengthen a county law that protects janitors, maintenance workers, security personnel and other service workers in commercial buildings who are displaced when contracts change hands. First passed by a 16-1 vote in 2014, Westchester’s Displaced Service Employees Protection Law ensures that building service workers are given a reasonable trial employment period during which they can retain their jobs after a building or a building service contract or contractor changes hands. The proposed changes to the law will lower the threshold for
covered contractors from 15 to 5 employees. It will also extend the period during which workers must be retained from 60 to 90 days, which will align Westchester’s law with New York City’s. Leg. Covill said, “The law has worked for the most part to protect workers and give them an avenue for redress when new employers fail to retain them, or fail to give them the information that the law requires. But provisions in the law also have allowed contractors and owners to sidestep the spirit of the law by employing more contractors with fewer employees or splitting up contracts. The changes we’re proposing will address that by lowering the threshold for covered contractors from 15 to 5
employees, and by adding other new protections to help Westchester’s working families.” Leg. Tubiolo said, “This is a law that protects the rights and dignity of workers trying to make a living, and makes sure they’re not treated as disposable when contract or contractors change. I’m proud not only to sponsor these amendments with Legislators Covill and Borgia, but I’m also proud that so many our colleagues are joining us in introducing these steps to strengthen worker protections.” The others sponsors are Board Chair Ben Boykin, Vice Chair Alfreda Williams, Majority Leader Catherine Parker, Majority Whip MaryJane Shimsky, and Legisla-
tors Nancy Barr, Damon Maher, Terry Clements, Lyndon Williams and Christopher Johnson. Lenore Friedlaender, Assistant to President of 32BJ SEIU and union leader in the Hudson Valley, said, “This important fix to the law would stop some employers from trying to evade their responsibility by creating tiny companies that can skirt under the threshold, and it would provide the clarity needed for good faith communication between the employees and employers. We are grateful that a bipartisan group of legislators is tackling this issue.” The proposed changes will now be taken up by the board’s Legislation and Labor and Housing Committees. (Submitted)
be a Massachusetts man in his 20s. Multiple felony charges are pending, including Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, Assault and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree. The incident began when the officer pulled over the Honda for a traffic violation on the northbound Hutch at North Street in New Rochelle. After determining that the driver did not have a valid license, the officer asked the man to step out of the car. The driver initially complied but then jumped back into the Honda. The officer attempted to prevent him from fleeing. The county officer, who is not being identified at this time, was taken to Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow with an injury to one of his hands and arm. He was treated and released. The suspect was taken to the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where he was also treated and released. Following the incident, the Honda was impounded and towed back to county police headquarters in Hawthorne. The 9,000 glassine envelopes of heroin were discovered inside the car. The suspect will be held overnight at headquarters pending arraignment tomorrow in New Rochelle City Court. (Submitted)
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A Westchester County police officer was injured on the Hutchinson River Parkway today when a motorist drove off at high speed as the officer was attempting to take him into custody. The officer was attempting to remove the driver of a Honda Accord from the vehicle about 11:30 a.m. and was leaning inside the car when it sped off. The officer was able to climb inside to avoid being dragged and he struggled with the suspect as the vehicle reached speeds of up to 60 mph. The driver’s front door remained open during the harrowing incident. The driver swerved across both lanes of the highway and on to the shoulder, accelerating and then braking hard, in an apparent effort to throw the officer from the car. The struggle continued for three-quarters of a mile, when the officer was able to bring the car to a halt. The suspect vehicle was then boxed in by a county police patrol car as the driver attempted to take off again. “The actions of this driver put our officer in grave danger,” Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason said. “It is fortunate that he was not seriously injured or killed.” The suspect’s identity is still being verified and will be released in the morning. He is believed to
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