Bill would allow Plainview tech manufacturer to lease space at Stony Brook University

A late-moving bill in the State Legislature would allow Stony Brook University to team with Veeco to help the semiconductor equipment maker expand out of its Plainview hub and base some operations at SBU’s research and development park.

But it must overcome two hurdles, sources said: Concerns from the statewide faculty union and labor unions over deals with private companies and the clock — state lawmakers are set to adjourn Friday for the year.

The bill, backed by State Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood) and Assemb. Steve Stern (D-Huntington), would give the State University of New York board of trustees authority to enter into a lease agreement with Veeco to use eight acres at Stony Brook’s R&D park.

Martinez noted Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) originally carried the bill and she essentially took it over because Republicans have little chance of getting bills through the Democratic-dominated Legislature. Palumbo remains a co-sponsor.

In a memo accompanying the legislation, Martinez and Stern wrote: “The company has outgrown its current headquarters and manufacturing facility in Plainview. … The R&D Park is zoned for up to 10 buildings, with three currently built, a fourth in development and Veeco would be the fifth building.”

They added: “By relocating to Stony Brook, Veeco will ensure its skilled workforce will remain in New York and Stony Brook and Veeco will develop a significant talent pipeline to support high end manufacturing and cutting-edge research …”

Veeco, founded as Vacuum Electronic Equipment Co. in 1945, now focuses on semiconductor products and has more than 1,000 employees, according to multiple sources. Last year, Veeco acquired a Swedish company in a transaction aimed at give it traction in the electric-vehicle-components market.

“We want them to grow and Stony Brook has the capacity to enable them to,” Martinez said in an interview Tuesday. “This is a company that wants to stay on Long Island.”

But not everyone is happy with the proposal.

United University Professions, which represents faculty and other staffers at public colleges, said the bill doesn’t do enough to protect union jobs — which could be a sticking point in a pro-union State Legislature.

“UUP is not opposed to SUNY leasing land for the development of a facility that would research and develop semiconductor chips. Our opposition is based in the fact that SUNY will not accept very basic labor protections so that unionized jobs remain unionized jobs,” UUP President Fred Kowal said in an email to Newsday.

He wants SUNY to put in writing that it won’t outsource union jobs.

“UUP wants these basic labor protections in all SUNY land lease bills,” Kowal added.

Martinez said legislative staff met with various unions to craft an acceptable bill. She noted the bill was amended Monday to ensure construction jobs must use union labor and pay prevailing wages, and prohibiting the privatization of work currently done by state university employees.

Yet she acknowledged UUP still is opposed.

“We tried to address their concerns as best we could,” she said, calling the proposal a “balanced bill.”

The bill also is up against the clock. Lawmakers are set to adjourn for the year no later than Friday and currently are trying to rush through hundreds of bills — with statewide proposals competing with local ones such as this for lawmakers’ increasingly limited time. Time will run out for many proposals.

“It’s true there’s not much time left, but this is a priority," Martinez said.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy