Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
JANUARY 18, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT/CONSTRUCTION CAREERS POLICY (PLA/CCP)
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status update on the Project Labor Agreement and Construction Careers Policy programs through the quarter ending September 2023.
Issue
ISSUE
In January 2012, the Board approved the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council and the Construction Careers Policy (CCP), with a subsequent renewal in January 2017. The PLA/CCP encourages construction employment and training opportunities for members of economically disadvantaged areas throughout the United States on Metro’s construction projects. An added value of the PLA is that work stoppages are prohibited.
In addition, Metro’s PLA/CCP provides equitable opportunities for the historically underserved population, including women, with high-wage career opportunities in the construction industry.
Background
BACKGROUND
Consistent with the Board approved PLA and CCP (PLA/CCP), prime contractors are required to provide Metro with monthly reports detailing progress towards meeting the targeted worker hiring goals. Additionally, consistent with Metro’s Labor Compliance policy and federal Executive Order 11246 (EO 11246), the prime contractors provide Metro with worker utilization data by ethnicity and gender. In accordance with EO 11246, Metro’s program-wide goal for female participation in PLA/CCP construction projects is 6.90%.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Metro’s PLA/CCP provides training and employment opportunities in the construction industry to individuals from economically disadvantaged areas and individuals that are socially barriered. Since Metro’s PLA/CCP inception and up to this reporting period, over $542 million in wages have been paid to individuals residing in economically disadvantaged areas, and over $101 million in wages paid to disadvantaged individuals.
This report provides a status update on the construction contracts covered by the PLA/CCP, including an overview of the Diversity and Economic Opportunity Department (DEOD) staff’s efforts on female participation. This report provides an update on the PLA/CCP through the quarter ending September 2023 (Attachment A).
A. PLA/CCP Status Update
As of September 2023, there are 16 active construction contracts with PLA/CCP program requirements, including ten contracts subject to the Local Hire Initiative. Fourteen contractors exceeded the 40% Targeted Worker Goal (from economically disadvantaged areas), ten exceeded the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal, and eleven exceeded the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal. Thirty-two completed construction contracts were subject to the PLA/CCP. Overall (aggregate), PLA/CCP program-wide attainment of the three workforce goals has been met and exceeded.
The following tables represent the active construction projects as of the September 2023 quarterly reporting period.
Projects Subject to National Targeted Worker (from economically disadvantaged areas of the US)
Projects Subject to Local Hire Initiative (from economically disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles County)
*Part of Metro’s PLA/CCP workforce requirement is the utilization of disadvantaged workers on projects. One of the nine criteria for a Disadvantaged Worker is having a
criminal record or other involvement with the criminal justice system. The data shown in the tables above (last column) is the percentage of Disadvantaged Workers (based on hours worked) that have criminal records or involvement with the criminal justice system and that have worked or are actively working on Metro’s PLA/CCP projects.
Female Workers on Active Construction Projects
In November 2017, the Metro Board of Directors (Board) approved a motion to encourage contractors on Metro construction projects to increase the participation of women by meeting or exceeding the nationwide female participation goal of 6.9% as set forth by Executive Order 11246.
Included in the motion is the creation of a report card/score card system reflecting the attainment of the female participation goals for Metro Project Labor Agreement/Construction Careers Policy contractors that is aimed at encouraging contractors to exceed the 6.9% female participation goal.
Below is the Female Participation Score Card as of September 2023.
The average female participation in Metro construction projects is at 3.71% of total work hours, which is higher compared to less than 2.0% on other non-Metro public works construction projects in the region. The national average for women in construction is below 3.0%.
The following chart represents Metro female participation by year compared to other non-Metro projects in the region.
Metro Female Participation (2014-2018)
Source: Estolano Lesar Advisors - Disparity Study
Staff understands the importance of increasing female participation in Metro’s projects for equity and workforce availability reasons and is actively taking measures to increase and create opportunities.
Below is a chart of the number of females within the last four years on construction projects.
Number of females on Metro projects
Source: As reported by the prime contractors. This table counts each individual tradeswomen only once (no double counting), even if an individual worked on multiple projects.
The number of female workers on Metro projects decreased from 2022 to 2023 due to the completion of the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor and Regional Connector Transit Corridor projects.
Staff are currently working with the unions and jobs coordinators to refer female workers who have completed their work assignments to other active Metro construction projects.
Staff continue to focus on strategies to support the outreach, recruitment, and retention of women into the trades, focusing on Metro’s PLA/CCP construction projects. Listed below are strategies implemented to increase female participation on Metro’s construction projects.
• Female Participation Score Card - Staff continues to grade each contractor’s performance quarterly by using a score card that reflects percentages of worked hours performed by females hired by Metro’s contractors to encourage meeting the 6.9% goal.
• Periodic Jobs Coordinator meetings - Staff conduct periodic meetings with job coordinators to discuss best practices and identify outreach and recruitment opportunities. The most recent meeting focused on female recruitment and referral into union boot-camps and pre-apprenticeship programs.
• Transition Coordination - Staff continues to assist female workers transitioning to other active or upcoming Metro projects as projects near the end of construction.
• Notice to Prime Contractors - Staff continues to issue notices to prime contractors not meeting the female participation goal at 25%, 50%, and 75% project completion.
• Women in the Trades Resource Guide (Attachment B) - Staff has developed a comprehensive guide to recruit, employ, and retain women in construction careers, to assist prime contractors in recruiting female workers.
• Collaboration with Unions - Staff has established a collaboration with the Laborers Union and Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters to directly refer female workers to the apprenticeship programs. Upon completion, participants are referred to Metro’s contractors for employment opportunities.
• Outreach - Staff continue to outreach to community-based organizations, pre-apprenticeship schools, and building trades to promote and increase female recruitment in the construction industry. As of this reporting period, staff participated in two job fairs which resulted in twelve females referred to job coordinators for pre-apprenticeship programs.
• Partnerships with the Los Angeles/Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council (LAOCBTC) and the Executive Secretary to focus on increasing female participation in the construction industry, including prioritizing and dispatching female workers on Metro construction projects.
In addition, the following are strategies under development to support and increase female participation in Metro’s projects.
• Metro and Laborers Union (Local 300) are collaborating to establish a tunnel worker training facility in the LA region. Currently, the only training facility for tunnel workers is in Seattle, Washington, which creates a hardship for local individuals to participate. Establishing a local tunnel worker training facility will help fulfill the LA region’s need for tunnel workers, with priority given to females interested in starting as tunnel/miner workers. As of this reporting period, the following efforts have been made.
o Laborers Training School finalized the class curriculum in partnership with Washington State University for the tunnel training school.
o Laborers Training School has started classroom safety training classes as a pre-requisite course prior to the actual hands-on tunnel training. Approximately 25 individuals have completed the classroom courses including 5 female participants. Laborers Union are continually recruiting female union members to participate in this specialized training.
o Metro will provide some financial support for the tunnel worker training, purchase of PPE equipment and cost for the hands-on training for the participants. The hands-on training portion of the class will continue to be done in Seattle, Washington, until the Laborers Union and Laborers Training School secure a local working site to accommodate the hands-on portion of the tunnel training.
o Target date for the start of the hands-on tunnel worker training in Seattle, Washington is the 2nd quarter of calendar year 2024.
• Metro to launch a Joint Awareness Campaign in collaboration with LAOCBTC, union trades, prime contractors, and community-based organizations to build future workforce capacity with a special focus on females.
o Launch a website connecting females to pre-apprenticeship training sponsored by LAOCBTC by 1st quarter of calendar 2024.
• Consistently support the Women Build Metro LA (WBMLA) events. The WBMLA events are geared to introduce the construction career path for women throughout Los Angeles County. Staff has invited Metro’s prime contractors to participate and recruit females interested in starting a career in construction.
• Collaborate with Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER) to continuously seek grant opportunities to help empower, train, educate, and prepare women for transformative careers in the construction industry. In addition, Metro shall provide continuous employment referrals to female graduates of WINTER on Metro project sites.
• Further collaborate with the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) in recruiting females interested in starting a career in construction and establishing an ongoing referral system of individuals to pre-apprenticeship programs available through the LA County DEO network of services.
Furthermore, staff will continue to provide ongoing assessment of the female participation score card, monitoring of contractor’s performance, and recognition of contractors that successfully meet or exceed the 6.9% goal or demonstrate highly commendable efforts in the recruitment, retention, and/or professional development of women on Metro’s construction projects.
Implementation of Strategic Plan Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Metro’s Project Labor Agreement/Construction Careers Policy (PLA/CCP) supports strategic plan goal #3 to enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Equity Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro’s Project Labor Agreement and Construction Careers Policy continue to create employment opportunities for marginalized and vulnerable community members in the construction industry for workers with historical barriers to employment. In addition, through Executive Order (EO) 11246, Metro strives to diversify the workforce on construction projects to improve access to career opportunities and serve as a catalyst for improving the socio-economic status of minorities and women.
As of this reporting period, all active PLA/CCP construction projects have exceeded the minority participation goal of 28.30%. Metro has continued ongoing efforts undertaken by staff to increase female participation, including outreach to women in construction to obtain insight and best practices for contractors and female workers in the construction industry (details in Attachment B). In addition, Metro helps the Construction Building Trades unions to increase their female membership by encouraging contractors to hire/sponsor females into the construction trades. Staff attributes these strategies to contribute to an average female participation rate in Metro construction projects (3.71%) that is higher than historical participation rates in other non-Metro public works construction projects in the region (less than 2%) and the national average for women in construction (less than 3%). Additionally, staff monitors each project female attainment on a monthly basis and provides assistance to contractors to continually increase female participation.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
DEOD staff will continue to monitor the contractors’ efforts and initiate the various strategies and activities as outlined in this report. Staff will continue to monitor and deliver best practices, initiatives, and outreach efforts to promote awareness, engagement, and participation in construction career opportunities.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - PLA/CCP Quarterly Brochure
Attachment B - Women in the Trades Resource Guide
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Sidney Urmancheev, DEOD Representative (213) 922-5574
Angela Scott, Senior DEOD Representative (213) 922-1028
Michael Flores, Manager, DEOD (213) 922-6387
Wendy White, Director, DEOD (213) 922-2648
Tashai Smith, Executive Officer, DEOD (213) 922-2128
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Sharon Gookin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (213) 418-3101
