After months of negotiations, the Long Beach City Council passed a comprehensive project labor agreement (PLA) on April 7, with a unanimous vote of 7-0.
“Long Beach was able to craft a PLA that was tailored for our city,” said 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez. “We successfully negotiated for a goal of a 40-percent local hiring provision, which is 10 percent more than the standard PLA and, most importantly, this PLA includes a local hire component and job training initiatives in collaboration with Long Beach City College.”
Among the members of the Long Beach community who spoke out Tuesday night was Gregory Sanders, president of the Long Beach Ministers Alliance and pastor of The ROCK Christian Fellowship.
“The Ministers Alliance is excited about the progress achieved by the Long Beach City Council in regard to the Project Labor Agreement,” Sanders said. “We have been especially encouraged by the commitment of councilmembers Lena Gonzalez and Rex Richardson to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Long Beach by including a local-hire policy. These are not just jobs— these are careers. This team effort has helped forge a hope centered narrative between clergy, City Council and our community.”
Representing the building trades was Ron Miller, executive secretary with the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, who spoke during public comment.
“The biggest asset of any city is its human resource— its people. The PLA brings immense opportunities to the residents of Long Beach,” he said. “The Building Trades teach people a lifelong trade. They take someone who might not be going to college and give them a skill set that is vital to the California economy.”
Also during public comment, several women who are members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) spoke about their experiences working in the trades.
“I’ve been an electrician for seven years. It’s such a great career,” said Hannah Cooper, an electrician with IBEW Local 11. “This PLA will help steer women towards a career that affords them the opportunity to work for equal wages and benefits as their male counterparts.”
Cooper shared that her mother was the first female electrician to be a member of IBEW Local 11.
Also speaking on behalf of the PLA that night were U.S. Congressmembers Alan Lowenthal and Janice Hahn.
Source: Gonzales’s office
