Workers protest Oceanside firehouse plan

Nearly 100 union workers from Laborers Local 66 and the New York City District Council of Carpenters assembled outside the Oceanside Firehouse on May 29 to voice their concerns over the open bid for future renovations and expansions to the firehouse.

The bidding process will determine the general contractor for the project, and has been condemned by local union representatives, who worry that the Oceanside Fire District may award the bid to a company whose owner has been debarred for cheating his workers.

“I’m surprised the Firehouse is not taking the high road,” said Sal Speziale, Nassau County’s union representative for Laborers Local 66 . “We have a lot of members living in Oceanside and Long Beach and Island Park. I can’t believe they’re doing this.”

The company with the current lowest bid, FML Contracting, Inc., of Carle Place, is owned by Biagio Vigliotti, who, records obtained by the Herald show, has been involved in dubious dealings before. In July 2012, He pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and willful failure to collect taxes, crimes he committed as the owner of Luvin Construction Corporation, his previous company. Vigliotti agreed to pay more than $1.3 million in back wages to his workers, and is currently debarred from bidding until March of 2015 by the New York State Department of Labor.

According to Mike Donnelly, the business representative for Queens and Nassau County for the District Council of Carpenters, this has not stopped the Oceanside Fire District from considering his bid. Donnelly sent an email to Danny Tanzi of architectural firm H2M, who is managing the project, emphasizing Vigliotti’s debarment and requesting his removal from the bidding process.

“I brought to Danny’s attention that Vigliotti is on a debarment list. He said, ‘We know that, but he’s got another company now, so we’ll use that,’” said Donnelly. “Mr. Vigliotti can open as many companies as he would like, [but] he is still debarred.”

However, Tony Iovino, the attorney for the fire district, stressed that the unions had misinterpreted his client’s intentions. He insisted that the qualifications of the bidders would be considered as carefully as their prices, and that the process of choosing a general contractor is far from finished.

“We will take everything into account, and my law firm and the architect will make a recommendation to the board of fire commissioners at their next meeting as to whom we believe are the lowest responsible bidders,” Iovino said. “Under the law, it is not just that somebody is the lowest bidder, but that they are the lowest responsible bidder.”

“We appreciate input from all sides,” he added. “We’ll verify all input and make a recommendation in accordance with the law.”