Construction Careers for Workers and Communities

How Community Workforce Agreements Can Serve HUD Section 3 Programs

Who We Are

15 local affiliates Focused on building coalitions of

community/labor/enviro/faith partners Increase supply & accessibility of high quality

jobs in urban areas Local gov’t direct spending, subsidies to private

sector dev’t About 10 cities – working on construction

industry agreements

Section 3 Challenges

Section 3 $ = construction jobs Complicated Context of Construction Industry

Employment

– High road jobs = quality careers, challenging to access

– Low road jobs = lower wage, temp/seasonal, easier to access

Low-Wage Work creates new obstacles to success

Apprenticeship opens door to quality career

Challenges of Accessing Certified Apprenticeship

Multiple actors = communication challenge

Need a functioning workforce pipeline

Legal conflicts: collective bargaining agmts, federal regulation, policy requirements

More apprenticeship slots necessary to get more low-income people into apprenticeship

Community Workforce Agreements

PLA = industry standard CWA = PLA + targeted hire Where: NY, Cleveland, San Francisco, Los

Angeles Other ways to make some headway, but PLAs are

best model

PLAs + Targeted Hire

Always include: – Job quality elements– Def’n of targeted workers– % hours on total job (journey-level workers)– Mandate apprenticeship utilization– % of apprentices– Reporting, monitoring

Could include:– Named pre-apprenticeship, CBO– $ for training/outreach– Community advisory board to receive reports, problem

solve

CWAs Streamline Hiring Process & Reduce Obstacles

Articulate outcomes and process for getting there Create communication & relationships across the

project Establish hiring process & workforce pipeline Negotiate comprehensive legal document that

addresses collective bargaining Increase # of apprenticeship slots

CWAs Get Results

Los Angeles– city infrastructure $375 m, 7500 jobs– CCD $2.2 bn, 15,000 jobs– USD $20 bn, 16,000 jobs– CRA policy passed in 2008

NY– 6 PLAs w/MOU; $6 bn, 30,000 jobs– Existing pipeline: Malloy initiative

Port of Oakland– $1.2 bn; – 31% work hours, 6.2% apprenticeship hours

Others in Cleveland, San Francisco

Resources & Contact

www.communitybenefits.org Policy language, case studies, reports/outcomes Construction career opportunities project: PWF,

Building Trades Department, Cornell Univ. kmh@communitybenefits.org