Robbie Hunter, President
State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, AFL-CIO
In a major win for the Building Trades on Tuesday, Sacramento City Council voted 7-2 in favor of a citywide PLA for all public works projects over $1 million dollars. This ordinance will apply to upcoming major construction projects such as the Convention Center and Community Theater renovations this fall. The City Council has anticipated that 10 to 15 projects will be covered by the PLA in the first 18 months of the five year agreement.
This achievement follows a multi-year advocacy campaign by the State Building Trades and the Sacramento-Sierra Building Trades to develop state projects in the Downtown area, such as State buildings on O and L Street, the new state court building at the railway yard, and the completed Golden 1 Center Arena. This partnership has produced excellent results which the city council has wisely moved to expand.
The PLA guarantees that 50 percent of all the work on publicly funded projects in the city of Sacramento will go to local businesses and construction workers. A fifth of all the apprenticeship hours will be kept local and special consideration will be given to veterans.
“In voting in favor of this historic agreement, Sacramento City Council have made a decision to drive their own economy with their own tax dollars; to give opportunities to the cities young people for apprenticeship; and allow them a pathway to the middle class, building projects with the least amount of people, in the least amount of time, done once, done right, under the lowest bid.”