Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 17, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT/CONSTRUCTION CAREERS POLICY (PLA/CCP)
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the:
A. Status update on the Project Labor Agreement and Construction Careers Policy through the quarter ending June 2019; and
B. Metro Workforce Disparity Study on Women in the Trades.
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.
This report provides an update on the PLA/CCP through the quarter ending June 2019.
Background
BACKGROUND
In accordance to 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 on PLA/CCP construction projects is 6.90%.
Metro continues to advance several initiatives with focus on increasing the overall female participation attainment such as: development of an action plan as presented in November 2017; deployment of a performance score card including the development and distribution of Women in the Trades Resource Guide; and continued engagement with Metro’s prime contractors and job coordinators with a focus on female worker outreach, recruitment and retention. As a result, Metro’s female participation attainment on active construction projects covered by the PLA/CCP has steadily increased from 3.34% in October 2017 to 3.70% as of June 2019. The overall increase is attributed to 172 female workers gaining employment on Metro’s construction projects between November 2017 and June 2019.
Moreover, Metro will continue to advance efforts to deliver upon Measure M and Metro’s 28 by 2028 Initiative, the ongoing demand for skilled workforce will continue to create career opportunities for women and men within the construction industry and most specifically on Metro’s infrastructure projects covered by the PLA/CCP. In recognition of the workforce demands and agency’s goal to increase the participation and inclusion of women within the agency’s construction projects, Metro’s Diversity and Economic Opportunity (DEOD) staff commissioned a comprehensive Workforce Disparity Study to assess the availability and participation of female workers to contribute to the demand for future infrastructure projects within LA County (the Region).
Discussion
DISCUSSION
This report provides a status update on the construction contracts covered by the PLA/CCP as of FYQ4 2019 and an overview of the Metro Workforce Disparity Study. The report also provides an update on DEOD outreach activities in support of the targeted workforce.
A. PLA/CCP Status Update
As of June 2019, there are twelve active construction contracts with PLA/CCP program requirements including three contracts subject to the Pilot Local Hire Initiative. Nine of the twelve contractors exceed the 40% Targeted Worker Goal, six contractors exceed the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal and five contractors exceed the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal. There are twenty completed construction contracts. The information on the completed construction contracts is provided as Attachment A.
The following table represents the active construction projects as of the June 2019 quarterly reporting period.
Active Construction Projects
*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 table above outlines the percentage of Disadvantaged Workers (based on hours worked) that have criminal records or involvement with the criminal justice system that have worked or are actively working on Metro’s PLA/CCP covered projects.
Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor
Prime: Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors
The Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor project contractor has completed 93.70% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker Goal at 60.00%, Apprentice Worker Goal at 23.51%, Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 11.86% and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor’s overall attainment for the Female Participation Goal has increased in direct relation to the efforts that have been initiated by the contractor and Metro staff. The contractor has increased the female participation from 3.27% in September 2017 to 3.73% as of this reporting cycle which reflects a total of 186 female workers hired on the project.
Regional Connector Transit Corridor
Prime: Regional Connector Constructors, Joint Venture
The Regional Connector Transit Corridor project contractor has completed 62.04% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker Goal at 58.83% and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal at 17.00% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 9.76%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has provided an updated Employment Hiring Plan (EHP) which outlines compliance with meeting the PLA/CCP workforce goals in the latter part of 2019. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor towards meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation Goal at 3.80%. Staff continues to monitor the contractor’s performance based on the plan to perform more focused outreach. A total of 83 female workers were hired on the project as of this reporting period.
Westside Subway Extension Project, Section 1 Design-Build
Prime: Skanska-Traylor-Shea, a Joint Venture (STS)
The Westside Subway Extension Project, Section 1 project contractor has completed 59.65% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker Goal at 63.32%, Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 12.01%, and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal at 17.97%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has provided an updated EHP which outlines compliance with meeting the PLA/CCP workforce goals in the latter part of 2022. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor towards meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation Goal at 3.82%. The contractor has committed to perform more outreach activities focusing on female recruitment as part of their effort to increase female participation. A total of 86 female workers were hired on the project as of this reporting period.
Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 2 Design-Build
Prime: Tutor Perini/O&G, JV
The Westside Purple Line Extension Project Section 2 is underway and only 3.87% of the estimated construction work hours for this project have been performed. The contractor is currently exceeding the Local Targeted Worker Goal at 49.96%, and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal at 13.36% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 3.87%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
This project falls under the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Pilot Local Hire Program. On October 6, 2017, the Federal Register published a notice from the USDOT announcing the withdrawal of the Pilot Local Hire program. This is one of the three construction projects awarded subject to the Pilot Local Hire Initiative.
Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor towards meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor has achieved 4.62% Female Participation attainment within the early phases of construction. A total of 9 female workers have been hired on the project as of this reporting period.
Division 16 - Southwestern Yard
Prime: Hensel Phelps/Herzog, J.V.
The Division 16 Southwestern Yard project contractor has completed 99.24% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Local Targeted Worker Goal at 49.23%, Apprentice Worker Goal at 29.89%, Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 10.21%, and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
This project falls under the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Pilot Local Hire Program. On October 6, 2017, the Federal Register published a notice from the USDOT announcing the withdrawal of the Pilot Local Hire program. This is one of the three construction projects awarded subject to the Pilot Local Hire Initiative.
The contractor has attained 4.19% Female Participation goal. A total of 53 female workers have been hired on the project as of this reporting period. Recognizing this project is nearing completion, Metro staff in coordination with the job coordinator is working with female workers on this project that are interested in obtaining a referral to work on other Metro projects. This collaborative effort is to support retention.
Patsaouras Plaza Busway Station
Prime: OHL-USA, Inc.
The Patsaouras Plaza Busway Station project contractor has completed 88.06% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker Goal at 56.75% and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal at 12.46% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 4.03%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
Metro staff issued a Notice of Non-Compliance in November 2017 for the low attainment of the Apprentice and Disadvantaged Worker Goals. The contractor submitted a revised EHP with an action plan for meeting all PLA/CCP workforce provisions by the end of the project. As of this reporting period, the contractor continues to make progress in the Apprentice Worker attainment and has committed to hiring more disadvantaged workers. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and will work closely with the contractor towards meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor has one of the lowest Female Participation attainment at 1.30%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice in early 2018 requesting the contractor to document efforts related to the recruitment of female workers as part of their effort to increase female participation. The contractor and their job coordinator committed to increase female participation by performing targeted outreach and collaborating with community-based organizations in recruiting female workers.
Westside Purple Line Ext. Section 3 - Advanced Utility Relocations
Prime: Bubalo Construction Co.
The Westside Purple Line Ext. Section 3 - Advanced Utility Relocations project contractor has completed 99.77% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Local Targeted Worker Goal at 47.56%, Apprentice Worker Goal at 21.08%, Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 12.08% and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
This project falls under the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Pilot Local Hire Program. On October 6, 2017, the Federal Register published a notice from the USDOT announcing the withdrawal of the Pilot Local Hire program. This is one of the three construction projects awarded subject to the Pilot Local Hire Initiative.
The contractor has achieved 5.10% Female Participation attainment. This project is one of the highest as of this reporting period.
Metro Blue Line Signal System (Rehabilitation)
Prime: Mass Electric Construction Co.
The Metro Blue Line Signal System (Rehabilitation) project contractor has completed 74.97% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor is meeting the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 40% Targeted Worker Goal at 26.89%, the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal at 17.06% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 9.45%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
Metro staff issued a Notice of Non-Compliance in May 2019 for the low attainment of the Targeted, Apprentice and Disadvantaged Worker goals. The contractor submitted a revised EHP with an action plan for meeting all PLA/CCP workforce provisions by the end of the project. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and will work closely with the contractor towards meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contract is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation Goal at 0.90%. Staff issued a Notice of Low Female Participation in March 2019 requesting the contractor to document efforts related to the recruitment of female workers as part of their effort to increase female participation. The contractor and the job coordinator committed to increase female participation by performing targeted outreach and collaborating with community-based organizations in recruiting female workers. As of this reporting period, the contractor has hired 4 female workers on the project.
Soundwall #11 Construction
Prime: Powell Constructors, Inc.
The Soundwall #11 Construction project contractor has completed 26.10% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor is meeting the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 40% Targeted Worker Goal at 38.90%, the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal at 12.07% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 0.11%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has submitted an EHP which outlines compliance with meeting the PLA/CCP workforce goals at 65% project completion. Staff will continue monitoring the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor in meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation Goal at 0.01%. Staff issued a Notice of Low Female Participation in July 2019 requesting the contractor to document efforts related to the recruitment of female workers as part of their effort to increase female participation. In addition, staff will meet with the contractor to discuss the female participation goal and strategies to increase female participation.
Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station Improvements
Prime: Icon-West Inc.
The Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station Improvements project contractor has completed 82.65% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker Goal at 65.03%, Apprentice Worker Goal at 20.87% and the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 5.41%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has hired several Disadvantaged Workers on the project which should help achieve the Disadvantaged Worker Goal by the next reporting period. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor in meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor has one of the lowest Female Participation attainment at 1.43%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice on April 11, 2019 requesting the contractor to document efforts related to the recruitment of female workers as part of their effort to increase female participation. As of this reporting period, the contractor has hired 5 female workers on the project.
Metro Blue Line Track & System Refurbishments
Prime: RailWorks
The Metro Blue Line Track & System Refurbishments project contractor has completed 90.11% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Apprentice Worker Goal at 22.85% and the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 40% Targeted Worker Goal at 28.20%, and the 10% Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 4.79%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
Metro staff issued a Notice of Non-Compliance in May 2019 for the low attainment of the Targeted, and Disadvantaged Worker goals. The contractor submitted a revised EHP with an action plan for meeting all PLA/CCP workforce provisions by the end of the project. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and will work closely with the contractor towards meeting all worker goals for this project.
The contractor has the lowest Female Participation attainment at 0.56%. Staff has address the Low Female Participation as part of the Notice of Non-Compliance letter issued in May 2019 requesting for an action plan to increase female participation on the project. As of this reporting period, the contractor has hired 5 female workers on the project.
Metro HQ Chillers Plan & Emergency System Replacement
Prime: EMCOR/Mesa Energy
The Metro HQ Chillers Plan & Emergency System Replacement project contractor has completed 54.81% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker Goal at 46.01%, Apprentice Worker Goal at 32.16%, Disadvantaged Worker Goal at 20.56% and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker Goal is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has achieved 5.54% Female Participation attainment which is the highest as of this reporting period.
B. Metro Workforce Disparity Study
As part of the ongoing effort to not only increase female participation on Metro construction projects but also to gain a greater understanding of the existing and projected availability of women in the construction workforce, DEOD staff initiated a workforce disparity study to determine the availability and participation of female workers to meet the demand for future infrastructure projects in support of Metro’s projects including others throughout the Los Angeles Region. The professional services of Estolano LeSar Advisors (ELA) were retained to perform a comprehensive assessment and develop the construction workforce disparity study with focus on Metro infrastructure projects. The comprehensive report “Metro Workforce Disparity Study (Study),” which includes an overview of the current state of the construction workforce including a forecast of workforce supply and demand within the region focusing on the availability of women in the skilled trades can be viewed at metro.net/pla.
An executive summary of the Study which includes recommendations are summarized within Attachment C.
As outlined in the Study female workers continue to remain underrepresented on public works projects throughout the region; however, between 2014 and 2018 the average female participation on Metro construction projects was 3.5% compared to 1.9% of other non-Metro public works projects in the region. Furthermore, Metro’s projects represented a total of 34% of the total hours performed on public works construction projects in the region over the past 5 years and, as a direct correlation, approximately 64% of the total hours performed by female constructions workers in the region over the past 5 years were on Metro construction projects. The measurable outcomes demonstrate the effects of intentional outreach and inclusion of women within the workforce of Metro’s construction projects.
Moreover, the agency’s pipeline of infrastructure projects such as those within Measure M and the 28 by ‘28 Initiative will continue to influence the demand for the construction workforce and skilled labor and lend to opportunities within the construction career pathway. Following is summary of the key findings within the report:
Key Findings:
• Between 2014 and 2018 Metro’s average female participation was 3.5% compared to 1.9% of other non-Metro public works construction projects in the region.
• As of 2018 the estimated total number of female workers available to work on public works construction projects in Greater LA Area is 775 (or 1% of total available workers). Of the total number of estimated female workers approximately 250 were apprentices and 525 were journey workers. These female workers are from multiple crafts.
• The trades with highest number of female workers (including both journey workers and apprentices) were: Laborers, Carpenter, Electricians, Operating Engineer and Teamster/Driver.
• Female participation in apprenticeship programs is increasing as the number of recruits more than doubled since 2008. Based on the cohort of apprentices that started apprenticeship programs since 2008, female apprentices as a percent of total apprentices has doubled between 2008 and 2018 from 96 (1.3%) in 2008 to 232 (2.6%) in 2018.
Recognizing the workforce changes occurring within the transportation industry including the construction industry such as: an aging labor force, generational shifts and decrease in the younger population entering the construction trades at the rates of the retiring workforce, the recruitment of workers will continue to be a priority for Metro and others throughout the region in order to meet the labor demands. As women continue to enter the construction industry at higher rates than previous years, Metro staff will continue to focus efforts on the outreach, recruitment and retention of women on the agency’s projects with the intent of achieving the Executive Order 11246 female participation goal of 6.9%. Therefore, in an effort to establish a forecast of the regional availability of female construction workers over the next ten years, ELA performed a workforce gap analysis by evaluating three growth scenarios, “No Growth,” “Moderate Growth,” and “Sustained Growth.” The growth scenarios demonstrate the ongoing workforce gap as there is not any point of time in which Metro attains 6.9% female participation within all the trades. However, the 6.9% female participation attainment is probable within the following trades: Painter, Plumbers and Pipefitters, Sheet Metal, Carpenters and Roofers. Although recruitment and retention efforts will continue to be focused on all the major trades associated with Metro ‘s projects, it is recommended that Metro significantly increases efforts on the trades that are anticipated to experience the largest female workforce gap such as: Operating Engineer, Iron Worker, Teamsters/Driver, Plasterer and Cement Mason, Surveyor and Elevator Constructor.
Moreover, the Study outlines additional recommendations for consideration based on the findings outlined in the report and a review of best practices in the construction industry. Following is a summary of recommendations that staff will continue to assess in developing a strategic action plan focused on short-term (less than 1 year), mid-term (1 - 5 years) and long-term (5-10 years) implementation:
• Expand and diversify the construction workforce to meet growing demand and skills-gap;
• Create a gender-balanced workforce by targeting the recruitment of females to enroll in apprenticeship readiness programs and registered apprenticeship programs;
• Continue Metro’s internal efforts through policies and programs related to supporting female participation in construction;
• Coordinate with the National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment and the Chicago Women in Trades to establish a Tradeswoman organization;
• Encourage building trades to track workforce participation;
• Encourage unconscious bias training among all contractors;
• Create a dedicated funding source to support the retention of female construction workers; and
• Others.
Staff will advance efforts for the implementation of the various adopted recommendations as outlined in the Study through a regional collaborative approach in partnership with the LA/OC Building Trades, Metro prime contractors including the job coordinators; and community-based partners.
C. Outreach
DEOD’s Outreach team continuously seeks opportunities to keep the community informed and engaged of construction career opportunities available through Metro’s PLA/CCP. Staff collaborates with community-based organizations and other partners including the contractors on outreach events, initiatives and activities. Staff hosted the following outreach events as of this reporting period:
• Metro “Women Build METRO LA” hosted a quarterly Apprenticeship Readiness Fair on May 17, 2019 at Metro Headquarters.
• Metro “Women Build METRO LA” hosted an Apprenticeship Readiness Fair on September 27, 2019 at the Banning’s Landing Community Center located at 100 E. Water St. Wilmington, CA 90744.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
DEOD staff will continue to monitor contractor’s efforts and initiate the various strategies and activities as outlined and will continue to use best practices, initiatives and outreach efforts to promote awareness, engagement and participation in construction career opportunities.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - PLA/CCP Completed Contracts
Attachment B - PLA/CCP Update Report Data
Attachment C - Metro Workforce Disparity Study (Executive Summary)
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Michael Flores, Manager, Diversity and Economic Opportunity, PLA/CCP
and WIN-LA (213) 922-6387
Shalonda Baldwin, Interim Executive Officer, Diversity and Economic
Opportunity (213) 418-3265
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Debra Avila, Chief, Vendor/Contract Management Officer (213) 418-3051
