Construction unions scored a pair of victories in California last week when constituents voted YES on Proposition 51, a $9 billion school bond measure dedicated to the construction and modernization of schools and community colleges across the state. They also voted NO on Proposition 53, which would have required a statewide vote for every…

  This summer, voters in Fairfield, California approved Measure J, a $249 million bond for the Fairfield-Suisun School District. This week, after much handwringing, the board of trustees agreed to put a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) in place for all construction work funded by the measure: Trustees [met] with supporters and critics of…

  UPDATE: The resolution has been voted on, but results have been difficult to come by. We will update this post when more information is available. The Oakland City Council is voting on a resolution that would guarantee jobs to African-American and female workers on all city-funded construction projects. Both demographics have typically…

  In August, the debate over funding for the $78.2 million Interlake Tunnel project in Monterey, California began to heat up. A $10 million state grant tied to a worker-supportive Project Labor Agreement (PLA) hung in the balance. But last week, the county water resources agency staff recommended the Board of Supervisors accept the funding:…

  Construction workers took to the streets of San Jose late last month to voice their displeasure with Cupertino-based developer KT Urban. Their complaints do not begin and end with KT, however. Union members are frustrated with a growing shift in Silicon Valley toward hiring non-union workers on development projects: Workers say it’s part…

  When it comes to closing the gender pay gap, California might be as good as it gets in the U.S.. But that doesn’t mean the gap is gone. Governor Brown understands this fight for equality in the workplace is far from over, and recently signed a bill designed to offer women better access to [&hellip…;

  While a federal appeals court continues to meddle in New Jersey’s project labor agreement affairs, the worker-supportive deals a scoring victories elsewhere in the country. In Wisconsin, building trades unions reached agreements on two projects related to the Milwaukee Bucks’ new arena. Agreements were reached with J.P. Cullen…

  California Governor Jerry Brown (D) has signed a bill to ensure construction workers’ wages aren’t involuntarily deducted and used for anti-labor purposes by unscrupulous contractors. The legislation, SB 954, was authored by State Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and sponsored by the State Building and Construction Trades…

  Last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion requiring contractors to hire more local workers on county construction projects. The new policy stipulates that 30% of all workers on county-controlled projects be local residents, with 10% being “targeted workers” who face high barriers to employment: The…

  With the placement of a 10-ton spire atop the Wilshire Grand last Saturday, Downtown L.A.’s latest sky scraper became the tallest building in America west of the Mississippi River. The hotel and office complex is being built under a Project Labor Agreement and has created thousands of new jobs: Members of Local 416 joined [&hellip…;

  Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a ballot initiative that, if passed in November, would see major investments in public transit and highway infrastructure spending. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Measure M, officially called the “Los Angeles…

  Back in July, we wrote about a lawsuit levied by the Building Trades against a nonprofit company called Civic San Diego. CivicSD approves and processes ministerial and discretionary land-use applications in parts of downtown San Diego and surrounding communities. San Diego is the only municipality in the state that outsources these kinds…