Suffolk Scraps 20-Year Union Contract for Political Ally's Firm

Union leaders and Democratic officials gathered outside Suffolk County’s Public Works building in Yaphank Friday to protest the county’s decision to terminate a nearly two-decade contract with a union construction company in favor of awarding the work to a firm owned by a political appointee.

The Suffolk County Department of Public Works ended its longstanding contract with Austin Drywall Corp., a Bohemia-based unionized contractor, last month and moved to award the work to Renu Contracting & Restoration. The company is owned by Michael VanDenburg, whom Republican Suffolk Executive Ed Romaine appointed to the county Planning Commission last year.

Democratic Suffolk Legislator Greg Doroski led the criticism, joined by union workers who questioned the timing and rationale behind the switch. “Austin Drywall Corp. was praised by the County Executive, praised by Majority Leader Nick Caracappa, and had a good record — there are questions that must be answered,” Doroski told reporters.

The controversy centers on what union leaders and Democrats call a clear conflict of interest, pointing to VanDenburg’s government position and his history of donations to Republican committees in Suffolk County, according to campaign finance records.

Vincent Alu, a union labor leader, raised concerns about Suffolk County’s own Apprenticeship Law, which requires contractors on public projects exceeding $250,000 to participate in state-registered apprenticeship programs. These programs train local workers and can reduce costs for taxpayers since apprentices earn lower wages while learning trades.

“The county appears to have waived that law,” Alu said. “If we are a nation of laws, those who enforce the law must follow the law, and the county must explain how and why it may have violated its own law.”

Union officials also questioned whether the new contractor meets prevailing wage requirements — state-mandated minimum pay rates for workers on public projects designed to prevent companies from undercutting local wages.

The Austin Drywall contract was described as a massive “on-call” agreement worth millions of dollars that allowed the county to quickly deploy union workers for repairs across Suffolk. Union leaders accused county officials of giving Renu “preferential treatment” by accepting what they believe was a below-prevailing-wage bid while applying labor standards inconsistently.

Democratic Suffolk Legislator Jason Richberg emphasized the local impact of the decision. “At a time where we are seeing record numbers of people at food pantries, we don’t want to see our local men and women not in work, we want to see local work done with local people,” he said.

Suffolk County officials strongly denied any wrongdoing or political favoritism in the contracting process. Charles Bartha, commissioner of the Suffolk Department of Public Works, defended the decision but did not explain why the county terminated Austin Drywall’s contract despite previous praise from the administration.

“This contract was put out to bid in accordance with the provisions of New York State and Suffolk County law,” Bartha said. “The bids were carefully scrutinized, and the contract was awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, as the law requires.”

Bartha stressed that the decision “should not be construed as a negative as to the quality of any other bidder.”

Republican sources close to the bidding process dismissed the criticism as political theater, though the contract amount has not been publicly disclosed.

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between Suffolk County’s Republican leadership and union organizations that have historically wielded significant influence in Long Island politics and construction projects.