Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MARCH 21, 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 programs through the quarter ending December 2018; and
B. Women in the Trades Action Plan.
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 December 2018.
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 on PLA/CCP construction projects is 6.90%.
Metro staff has continued 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 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 and retention. As a result of the focused initiatives, Metro’s female participation attainment on active projects has steadily increased from October 2017 reporting of 3.34% to 3.62% as of December 2018. The overall increase is attributed to 132 new female workers being employed on Metro’s construction projects between November 2017 and December 2018. The quarterly report indicates a total increase of 17 female workers employed between October 2018 and December 2018.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
This report provides a status update on the construction contracts covered by the PLA/CCP, including an overview of Diversity and Economic Opportunity Department (DEOD) staff’s efforts on the female participation action plan, and an update on the construction projects covered under the Pilot Local Hire Initiative. The report also provides an update on outreach activities in support of targeted workforce initiatives.
A. PLA/CCP Status Update
As of December 2018, there are twelve active construction contracts with PLA/CCP program requirements including two contracts subject to the Pilot Local Hire Initiative. Ten of the twelve contractors exceed the 40% Targeted Worker goal, five contractors exceed the 20% Apprentice Worker goal, and six contractors exceed the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal.
There are seventeen 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 December 2018 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 (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.
Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor
Prime: Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors
The Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor project contractor has completed 91.79% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 60.22%, Apprentice Worker Goal at 23.22%, Disadvantaged Worker goal at 12.23% and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker goal is based on total apprentice hours.
Although the contractor is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation goal, the overall attainment has increased in direct relation to the efforts that have been initiated by the contractor.
Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice in September 2017 requesting the prime contractor to document efforts related to the recruitment of female workers as part of their efforts to increase female participation. The contractor has increased the female participation from 3.27% in September 2017 to 3.71% as of this reporting cycle, reflecting a total of 170 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 52.61% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 58.89% and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 16.09%, or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal at 9.00%. 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 3.26%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 in February 22, 2018 and met with the prime contractor along with the job coordinator. Staff continues to monitor the contractor’s performance based on the plan to perform more focused outreach. In addition, the contractor and the job coordinator have supported Metro staff outreach efforts to former female workers on the project, which include conducting an informal exit interview to gather insights into their experiences while working on the project and understanding their reasons for transitioning from the project, and possibly the construction industry. A total of 74 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 46.85% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 64.19%, Disadvantaged Worker goal at 10.40%, and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 17.54%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker 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 contract is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation goal at 4.04%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice on February 20, 2018 and met with the prime contractor along with their job coordinator on February 28, 2018 to discuss the female participation on this project. The contractor committed to perform more outreach activities focusing on female recruitment as part of their effort to increase female participation. As of this reporting period, the contractor conducted a meeting with all their sub-contractors to encourage hiring of female workers. A total of 73 female workers were 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 97.07% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Local Targeted Worker goal at 49.26%, Apprentice Worker goal at 29.25%, Disadvantaged Worker goal at 10.25%, and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
This contract falls under the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Local Hire Pilot Program.
Although the contractor is not meeting the 6.9% Female Participation goal at 4.01%, the female worker attainment for this project is one of the highest as of this reporting period. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice in February 2018 requesting the prime contractor to document efforts related to the recruitment of female workers as part of their effort to increase female participation. The contractor, along with their job coordinator, committed to increase the female participation by performing targeted outreach and collaborating with community-based organizations in recruiting female workers. A total of 43 female workers have been hired on the project as of this reporting period.
Patsaouras Plaza Busway Station
Prime: OHL-USA, Inc.
The Patsaouras Plaza Busway Station project contractor has completed 83.35% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 57.36% and the minority participation percentage goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 12.58% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal at 4.08%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker 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 cycle, the contractor continues to show progress in the Apprentice Worker attainment and has committed in 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 is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation goal at 1.22%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice in February 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.
New Maintenance of Way/Non Revenue Vehicle Building 61S
Prime: Clark Construction, Inc.
The New Maintenance of Way/Non-Revenue Vehicle Building 61S project contractor has completed 92.98% of the estimated construction work hours for this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 62.82%, Apprentice Worker goal at 25.28%, Disadvantaged Worker goal at 11.72% and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation goal at 0.65%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice in May 2018 and met with the prime contractor along with their job coordinator to discuss the low female participation on this project. The contractor committed to perform more outreach activities focusing on female recruitment as part of their effort to increase female participation. The contractor hired a total of 9 female workers into the project as of this reporting period.
Division 1 Maintenance Annex Building
Prime: Metro Builders, Inc.
The Division 1 Maintenance Annex Building project contractor has completed 84.64% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 43.70%, Disadvantaged Worker goal at 14.29% and the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 19.98%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor to meet all worker goals for this project.
Although the female participation attainment is the highest as of this reporting period, the contract is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation goal at 5.49%. Staff issued a Female Participation Notice on December 2018 reminding the contractor of the 6.9% female participation goal.
Division 9 Maintenance Annex Building
Prime: Metro Builders, Inc.
The Division 9 Maintenance Annex Building project contractor has completed 98.91% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 43.63%, Apprentice Worker goal at 26.85% and the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal at 9.43%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor is not meeting the 6.90% Female Participation goal at 1.07%. Staff issued a Female Participation Notice on December 2018 reminding the contractor of the 6.90% female participation goal. The contractor responded indicating that female workers currently working for the Division 1 Maintenance Annex Building project, which is near completion, will be transitioned to the Division 9 Maintenance Annex Building project in support of female worker retention.
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 86.43% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Local Targeted Worker goal at 46.66%, Apprentice Worker goal at 21.15%, Disadvantaged Worker goal at 11.20% and the minority participation percentage goals. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
This contract falls under the U.S. DOT Local Hire Pilot Program.
The contractor is not meeting the 6.9% Female Participation goal at 4.04%. Staff issued an Executive Order 11246 Notice in July 27, 2018 and met with the prime contractor along with their job coordinator on August 7, 2018 to discuss the low female participation on this project. The contractor committed to perform more outreach activities focusing on female recruitment as part of their effort to increase female participation.
Metro Blue Line Signal System (Rehabilitation)
Prime: Mass Electric Construction Co.
The Metro Blue Line Signal System (Rehabilitation) project contractor has completed 14.21% 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 14.87%, the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 12.66% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal at 2.50%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has submitted an EHP which outlines compliance with meeting the PLA/CCP workforce goals at the latter part of 2019. Staff will continue monitoring the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor in meeting all worker goals for this project.
There is currently no female participation on this project. The project is at the early stage of construction with 14.21% project completion. Staff will issue a Female Participation Notice to the contractor.
Soundwall #11 Construction
Prime: Powell Constructors, Inc.
The Soundwall #11 Construction project contractor has completed 12.85% 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 32.59%, the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 10.66% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal at 0.21%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker 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 0.02%. The project is at the early stage of construction with 12.85% project completion. Staff will issue a Female Participation Notice to the contractor.
Willowbrooks/Rosa Parks Station Improvements
Prime: Icon-West Inc.
The Willowbrooks/Rosa Parks Station Improvements project contractor has completed 9.85% of the estimated construction work hours on this project. The contractor currently exceeds the Targeted Worker goal at 63.10% and the minority participation goals; however, the contractor is not meeting the 20% Apprentice Worker goal at 19.00% or the 10% Disadvantaged Worker goal at 0.00%. The attainment for the 20% Apprentice Worker is based on total apprentice hours.
The contractor has submitted an EHP which outlines compliance with meeting the PLA/CCP workforce goals at 40% project completion. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s EHP and work closely with the contractor in meeting all worker goals for this project.
There is currently no female participation on this project. The project is at the early stage of construction with 9.85% project completion. Staff will issue a Female Participation Notice to the contractor.
Female Workers on Active Construction Projects
In consideration of ongoing efforts to review and report on Metro’s female participation attainment, the following table highlights the number of cumulative female workers on active PLA/CCP projects within the last three months.
B. Women in the Trades Action Plan
Following is an update on efforts that are underway as of this reporting period.
o Women in the Trades Resource Guide: Staff developed a resource guide to provide contractors and job coordinators the industry best practices for outreach, recruitment, training and retention of workers with special focus on the outreach and recruitment of women. The resource guide contains support services, best practices and other areas of focus that have been identified by female workers and organizations such as Women In Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), all identified as vital to achieve a sustained career in the construction industry. The Women in the Trades Resource Guide is published on Metro’s PLA/CCP website and has been distributed to Metro’s prime contractors, job coordinators and the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council. The guide will also be released via wide circulation to community based organizations and various industry sector publications.
Status: Completed
Milestone: Initiated development in early 2018; published in Oct 2018
o Job Coordinators Consulting Engagement Review: Staff has initiated efforts for the formal assessment of the active job coordinators’ outreach and recruitment practices including overall processes in support of identifying best practices and/or areas of enhancement or modification. The effort is being conducted with the support of Metro’s Audit Management Services Department. Staff will also leverage the results of the assessment and recommendations in the Request for Qualifications to re-establish the job coordinator panel.
Status: In process
Milestone: MASD has issued a draft report with proposed recommendations.
o Regional Construction Industry Workforce Disparity Study: A solicitation was issued for a comprehensive workforce disparity study to determine the availability of women in the construction trades throughout the Los Angeles County region. The study will identify the demand for construction labor by Metro and other agencies in the region, the available labor supply including labor supply constraints, and other considerations. The Request for Proposal was issued in April 2018 and the contract was awarded to Estalano Lesar Advisors on August 22, 2018. The study was initiated in August 2018 and Metro staff along with the consultant met with the Building Trades Executive Board to provide an introduction to the disparity study and request ongoing support throughout the effort.
Status: In process
Milestone: Initiation of the study in August 2018; and projected completion in March 2019
DEOD staff will continue to focus on strategies to support the outreach, recruitment and retention of women into the trades with specific focus on Metro’s PLA/CCP construction projects. Recognizing the need to promote retention, professional development and career advancement, staff has begun to implement strategies to support retention and development of female workers on Metro’s construction projects.
Strategies include:
o Quarterly Jobs Coordinator Meetings: Staff continues to host quarterly meetings with the job coordinators to discuss best practices, identify outreach and recruitment opportunities, review the female participation scorecard, and focus on worker retention and transition among Metro projects. The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for April 2019.
o Worker Retention Best Practices: Efforts have been initiated to identify and assess the available pre-apprenticeship training programs with a focus on those with demonstrated success for candidate retention. Various best practices have been incorporated in the Women in the Trades Resource Guide. Staff is also looking into opportunities to strengthen retention tracking and reporting through the system software application, LCP Tracker.
o Transition Coordination: Staff has developed a formalized process to assist female workers to transition to other active or upcoming Metro projects as projects near the end of construction. The formalized process consists of the following actions:
o Communicate female worker transition with prime contractors and jobs coordinators nearing 80% project completion;
o Work with the jobs coordinators to identify female workers preparing for transition and available for work at least 30 days prior to project end date and/or worker assignment end date;
o Provide female workers with a list of active jobs coordinators; and
o Follow-up monthly/quarterly on recruitment and placement progress.
o Provide updates in PLA/CCP quarterly reports.
o Staff performed exit interviews with several female workers at the end of their employment on Metro construction projects. The intent was to identify issues and provide insights in improving female retention on Metro projects. A high-level summary of the results are as follows:
o Total of 14 female workers were surveyed with a 36% response rate
o Over 50% of the female workers are still employed and working an non-Metro projects
o 20% of the female workers have changed careers
o 20% are unemployed and still interested in working in the construction industry. As of January 2019, Metro has confirmed that these females are working on other non-Metro projects (union dispatched).
The result of exit interviews will be utilized to improve retention and transition coordination to all workers.
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.
Lastly, a summary of Contractor’s Action Plans to increase female workers in response to the issued EO 11246 Notices is provided as Attachment C.
C. Pilot Local Hire Update
On October 6, 2017, the Federal Register published a notice from the USDOT announcing the withdrawal of the Pilot Local Hire program. Metro has three construction projects awarded subject to the USDOT Pilot Local Hire Initiative which include:
• C0991 Division 16 - Southwestern Yard (contract value of $172M)
• C1120 Westside Purple Line Extension Project - Section 2 (contract value of $1.3B)
• C1153 Purple Line Extension Section 3 - Advanced Utility Relocations (contract value of $11M).
In addition, Metro has seven rolling stock contracts that contain the Local Employment Plan (LEP).
• A650-2015 Heavy Rail Vehicle Overhaul
• P2000 Light Rail Vehicle Overhaul
• HR400 Purchase of New Heavy Rail Vehicles
• OP28367-000 Forty Foot (40’) Low Floor CNG Buses
• OP28367-001 Sixty Foot (60’) Low Floor Zero Emission Buses
• OP28367-002 Forty Foot (40’) Low Floor Zero Emission Buses
• OP28367-003 Sixty Foot (60’) Low Floor CNG Buses.
These combined seven projects will create new jobs in Los Angeles County totaling over $62.3 million in wages and benefits over the next seven years. The LEP is projected to create an estimated 217 new jobs for the base and option contract terms for the seven projects.
D. 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 event as of this reporting period:
• On November 8, 2018, the Metro “Women Build METRO LA” Committee conducted a quarterly Apprenticeship Readiness Fair symposium on the Transportation Industry at Los Angeles County Arboretum (5th District). It focused on the many opportunities for women in the transportation industry with special focus on the construction trades.
The next WBMLA event will be scheduled in May 2019. Metro will host a WBMLA event here at Metro HQ to reach a wider geographic area. In September 2019, the WBMLA Committee will host a symposium, to be conducted at L.A. Southwest College in the southern part of Los Angeles County.
Staff is exploring partnership opportunities between Metro, WINTER and the City and County of Los Angeles for support of an evening training cohort for construction pre-apprenticeship training.
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 - Contractors Plan to Increase Female Participation
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Michael Flores, Manager, Diversity and Economic Opportunity, PLA/CCP
and WIN-LA (213) 922-6387
Miriam Long, Director, Diversity and Economic Opportunity
(213) 922-7249
Victor Ramirez, Deputy Executive Officer, Vendor/Contract Management (213) 922-1059
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 