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Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Workers and Supporters Celebrate Passage of CRA/LA’s Landmark Construction Policy
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and over 100 workers, activists and clergy celebrated today’s approval by the Los Angeles City Council of the unprecedented “Construction Careers and Project Stabilization Policy.” The policy was created by the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) in collaboration with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. It will require most CRA/LA-funded projects to hire more local and low-income residents from the communities in which the project is being built and encourage partnership, through a Project Labor Agreement, between CRA/LA-subsidized developers and contractors and the Building Trades Council.
Today, thanks to the hard work of the City of Los Angeles – including the City Council and the City Redevelopment Agency – we are taking a big step forward to make sure that a big portion of future construction jobs in LA go to local residents”, Mayor Villaraigosa said. “The policy requires projects receiving large CRA subsidies to be covered by a Local Hire Agreement and a Project Labor Agreement... …because it is only fair that these funds truly benefit the community by providing construction careers for Los Angeles residents”.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year in Los Angeles’ commercial construction industry. Supporters of this policy contend, however, that underserved communities have traditionally seen little growth or financial yield from that investment. Moreover, local residents in those communities have rarely benefited from the jobs accompanying the projects, despite the fact that many of the city’s commercial projects are subsidized by public funds. The CRA/LA designed the “Construction Career and Project Stabilization” Policy as an answer to these historic trends.
“Building a healthy community is more than just developing office space and housing. It’s about creating jobs and economic opportunity for the people who live in and around our project areas,” said Cecilia V. Estolano, CRA/LA’s Chief Executive Officer. “This policy is a way to share benefits of redevelopment and help rebuild our middle class.”
The passage of the policy came after dozens of workers, clergy and community leaders testified before the City Council. Among them were workers who transformed their lives and built thriving careers through construction union apprenticeship programs. John Harriel, a 38-year old union electrician, faced enormous challenges growing up in South Los Angeles – and ended up serving a lengthy prison term. Now, Harriel is a foreman supervising a crew of 13 workers: “This work is exciting and rewarding because it positively impacts lives. I’m well-trained, well-paid and happy with how I’m able to contribute to my community.”
In passing this policy, the City Council recognizes that this industry – a vital engine for the future of our regional economy – must be a source of both good, middle class careers and growth for the communities CRA is charged to serve,” explained Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
Over the next five years, it is expected to result in over 5,000 new jobs for local residents in CRA/LA-designated zones.
Richard Slawson, Executive Director of the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council added after the passage of the policy, “This policy is good for the construction industry, good for workers, and good for the community.”
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