Title
Will of Council calls upon the Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh to direct the Office of Management and Budget of the City of Pittsburgh to develop policies to give scoring benefits in the procurement process to firms that participate in apprenticeship programs.
Body
WHEREAS, the history of the City of Pittsburgh’s growth and development is intertwined with the promotion and expansion of a strong, robust working class, often buoyed by trade and labor unions. This history shows that one of the most effective ways to grow a region’s working class and ensure its access to a living wage is to support organized labor; and
WHEREAS, it’s imperative that the next generation of trade and labor union members draws from all areas and communities of the City of Pittsburgh, so as to guarantee that communities that have often and historically faced roadblocks to growth can also benefit and that there are no barriers to joining trade and labor unions and the benefits of collective bargaining and worker protections they grant; and
WHEREAS, at this time of redevelopment and expansion, the City of Pittsburgh must do all that it can to make sure that communities seeing new investment are also shown new opportunities to reap the benefits of this growth. Further, as this growth is supported, so too should trade and labor unions be supported as key parts of these projects; and
WHEREAS, by supporting the expansion of trade and labor unions into new and growing communities and supporting these community members’ involvement in regional projects, the City of Pittsburgh can make strides toward promoting a more equitable economy, with a more diverse and inclusive population growing and succeeding; and
WHEREAS, this focus on trade and labor union growth within neighborhoods wherein development projects - both small- and large-scale - are planned or underway can leverage the need to ensure equal access to fair-paying and life-long careers for more residents of the City of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, trade and labor union apprenticeship programs represent the first step to bringing more residents into these programs; and
WHEREAS, through its procurement and contracting process, the City of Pittsburgh can weigh bids from responsible contractors who maintain apprenticeship programs in trade and labor unions that draw from all communities in all parts of the region, thereby guaranteeing that as many residents as possible have access to living wages, and have access to careers working on local, neighborhood, and regional projects.
The Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby resolves:
Section 1. PURPOSE
A. This Will of Council calls upon the Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh to direct the Office of Management and Budget of the City of Pittsburgh to develop policies to give scoring benefits in the procurement process to firms that participate in apprenticeship programs.
B. The firm must have participated in an apprenticeship program for the past three years for each separate trade or classification in which it employs craft employees and shall continue to participate in such program or programs for the duration of the project.
Section 2. DEFINITIONS
A. Apprenticeship Program: An apprenticeship program that is currently registered with and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, Manpower Administration, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and has graduated apprentices to journeyperson status for at least three of the past five years.