Union jobs for city projects? Councilmembers say this proposal will boost Fresno’s middle class
Fresno leaders on Wednesday continued to fine tune a proposal for a five-year, citywide project labor agreement some hope would boost the city’s middle class and complete city construction projects on time and within budget.
The Fresno City Council was expected to vote Thursday afternoon on the proposal during its regularly scheduled meeting, but it remained unclear if it will pass.
The agreement with the Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare Building and Construction Trades Council would prioritize Fresno contractors and encourage apprenticeships for city projects that cost over $1 million. Non-union contractors still can win bids for projects under the agreement, and non-union workers won’t have to pay union dues. Veterans, women and workers from disadvantaged communities would be prioritized.
If passed, the agreement would signal a pivot from past Fresno city policy. Just five years ago, project labor agreements were banned in city government. A 2019 project labor agreement for the Fresno Yosemite International Airport expansion was the second in city history, and the first since the 1990s when Fresno City Hall was built.
“For too long, too many Fresno families have lived in poverty and worked low-skilled and low-waged jobs,” Councilmember Esmeralda Soria said. “Today, we say that our city is committed to help build the middle class by ensuring that city eligible projects provide apprentice opportunities to residents traditionally left out and give them the training that will lead them to skilled and good-paying jobs with a pension.”
While one voting bloc of four councilmembers supports the proposal, at least two councilmembers remained unsure. Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, the lone Republican on the council, opposes the agreement. The proposal needs five supporting votes to withstand a veto from the mayor.
Mayor Jerry Dyer and City Manager Thomas Esqueda have not said if they’re supportive. Esqueda declined to comment Wednesday because negotiations still were under way.
The proposed agreement
The agreement — which city leaders and the Building and Construction Trades Council have been negotiating for six months — does not apply to work completed by city employees, transitional housing projects or special projects and projects under warranty.
It also prohibits any work stoppages or strikes by workers and lockouts by employers.
The agreement includes an extensive local hire component. For each project, the agreement calls on the contractor to aim for the following: at least 50% of journey-level work hours performed by city residents; at least 55% of apprentice-level work hours performed by city residents; and at least 30% of apprentice-level work hours performed by new local apprentices.
Contractors under the agreement must agree to pay their employees for health insurance, vacation time and a pension.
If passed, the agreement would go into effect 120 days later.
Over the last eight or nine years, the Building Trades Council has worked with the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board to create pre-apprenticeship classes, said Chuck Riojas, the executive director for the local Building Trades Council, which represents around a dozen unions. A city-wide project labor agreement will propel that work, he said.
Support
Riojas said the opportunity of apprenticeship is “transformative.”
“We’re not trying to tie the city’s hands in any way,” Riojas said. “We’re just trying to take advantage of city projects.”
Councilmembers Miguel Arias, Nelson Esparza, Tyler Maxwell and Soria support the agreement.
Maxwell called it a “win-win for all of Fresno.”
“This PLA will ensure our local labor workforce will not be exploited while also ensuring major city projects are being constructed on time and on budget,” he said.
Arias pointed to four city projects that didn’t have such an agreement and were completed over budget and late, including the southeast police substation, Fire Station 18, the animal shelter and the FAX station at Manchester Center. He pointed to the airport expansion project as an example of a successful project under a PLA. Plus, it’s under budget and ahead of schedule, he said.
Furthermore, Fresno Unified School District and Fresno City College have made major investments in vocational training in the last five years, Arias said. Those newly trained workers should be able to find good-paying jobs here in Fresno, he said.
“It’s important to do it now because we’re about to start deciding how to distribute federal rescue funds and infrastructure resources we’re scheduled to receive,” he said. “It’s important to take advantage of these historic one-time resources and help rebuild the city while rebuilding middle class jobs.”
Councilmembers Luis Chavez and Mike Karbassi declined to say whether they support or oppose the agreement.
Opposition
On Wednesday before the council vote, the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction sent out an email blast encouraging stakeholders to write to Dyer and the councilmembers.
“The forces of bigotry and exclusion are back because they didn’t want staff to negotiate a fair PLA any longer. Union bought and paid for tools on the city council have instead just taken the union PLA and forced a vote on it tomorrow,” the email read.
Eric Christen, the CFEC executive director, said his organization has worked for more than 20 years to keep the city of Fresno “PLA-free, despite constant attempts by big labor special interests, who represent less than 15% of the local construction workforce, to implement one.”
He alleged those interests helped put progressive councilmembers in office and called the PLA a gift in return for which workers and taxpayers will pay.
Bredefeld said the agreement is unnecessary.
“Each project should be judged individually as to whether or not a PLA is in the best interests of the city, not be forced into one by a mandate,” he said. “This is nothing more than three councilmembers pandering to unions rather than looking out for what’s best for the city.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 3:07 PM.