Locals Fight For City Construction Work

[Dan]

Has the city done enough to help its own residents looking for entry-level work in the construction industry?

How does the job Mayor David Cicilline has done promoting economic growth in Providence compare with his office's willingness to push for hiring preference for city residents?

Has Providence city government made any progress implementing a fair system for hiring qualified city workers, or is it no better than the days of the Cianci administration?

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...e8.3edb110.html

[lld]

Has the city done enough to help its own residents looking for entry-level work in the construction industry?

How does the job Mayor David Cicilline has done promoting economic growth in Providence compare with his office's willingness to push for hiring preference for city residents?

Has Providence city government made any progress implementing a fair system for hiring qualified city workers, or is it no better than the days of the Cianci administration?

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...e8.3edb110.html

first source is about more than construction -- it's also about all those service jobs, as hotel workers, custodians, retailers, etc.

if all the new development benefits from huge tax breaks or tifs, produces no affordable housing, and provides minimal employment to providence residents, then what's the point?

[Frankie811]

When a project is announced, sometimes it comes with the stipulation that either a certain percentage of city residents must be hired, or a certain percent of workers must be minority workers. Usually these numbers or conditions are NEVER met, and it's business as usual. Nobody seems to check on wether or not everyone is in complience with these requirements. In other words, all talk and no action.

[Dan]

When a project is announced, sometimes it comes with the stipulation that either a certain percentage of city residents must be hired, or a certain percent of workers must be minority workers. Usually these numbers or conditions are NEVER met, and it's business as usual.

The same at announcements of high density residential in places like Smithfield, they always throw numbers around to demonstrate their contribution to the community's affordable housing stock but it never seems to actually happen.

[Cotuit]

How realistic is first source though? There's only 180k people in the city, and we aren't all construction workers. Has anyone done a census to see how many people we have living in the city that belong to a given trade? Then there's the issue of tax breaks. If the state is giving tax incentives, then why should people from the rest of the state be shut out when it comes to jobs? A lot of our construction firms and workers are in Cranston and Pawtucket and Warwick and other towns. I can see first source applying to the state, let Mass. and Conn. firms wait in line behind RI companies and workers. But I think if we had to wait for city workers to be hired everywhere, nothing would ever get done.

[lld]

How realistic is first source though? There's only 180k people in the city, and we aren't all construction workers. Has anyone done a census to see how many people we have living in the city that belong to a given trade? Then there's the issue of tax breaks. If the state is giving tax incentives, then why should people from the rest of the state be shut out when it comes to jobs? A lot of our construction firms and workers are in Cranston and Pawtucket and Warwick and other towns. I can see first source applying to the state, let Mass. and Conn. firms wait in line behind RI companies and workers. But I think if we had to wait for city workers to be hired everywhere, nothing would ever get done.

first source just requires that the city maintain a list of qualified resident-workers in various fields, and that developers look at them. we're expecting hundreds of new hotel jobs and various other unskilled labor to come from these developments that it'd be easy to fill with providence residents. (and i'f you're earning $12/hr working in a hotel or as a janitor, you're making way more than the median family income in olneyville or south prov.)

if there's nobody on the list who can do the job, the developers can do their own thing.

(if the city notices substantial voids in needed skills, the ordinance also sks that it put a little effort into job training.)

the skilled work in the trades is tougher, but more rewarding. if you get your foot in the door with one of the trades unions, you'll have a life-long career. the more progressive unions (carpenters, painters, etc are getting serious about intergrating their memberships, economically and ethnically) are willing to play, and set aside apprenticeships for city residents -- if the city steps up.

[lld]

and the value of these projects to providence is highly questionable, if they're not providing jobs, not providing affordable housing (esp if the housing's targeted to commuters and empty-nesters, and advertised in boston newport and new york, and creating new demand -- and not just new supply. which it is...), and not paying taxes. (even while using city services. though, admittedly, using the schools at a much lower rate than your average triple-decker.)

all the development that's going on downtown, through west broadway, into olneyville -- with maybe a rare exception -- has a tax break, or is part of a proposed tif district.

[Cotuit]

That sounds much more realistic, I was interpreting this along the lines of residency requirements. Though I still think that our city lines are so arbitrary, it's unfair to people who live outside the city. Someone who lives in Providence gets preferential treatment, but someone who lives in Central Falls gets nothing. Of course we're talking about city funding, but most larger projects also get something from the state.

[lld]

That sounds much more realistic, I was interpreting this along the lines of residency requirements. Though I still think that our city lines are so arbitrary, it's unfair to people who live outside the city. Someone who lives in Providence gets preferential treatment, but someone who lives in Central Falls gets nothing. Of course we're talking about city funding, but most larger projects also get something from the state.

I agree with you. It's similar to those spots where, if not careful, the labor movement can bleed into nationalism/jingoism. The goal here is to reduce concentrations of poverty -- and poverty's concentrated around prov, pawtucket, central falls. But I don't think the City's in a position whereby it could legally extend the benefits of FS to some cities and not others.

[Dan]

City ordered to implement employment program.

A judge orders compliance with a 20-year-old ordinance that requires businesses and organizations that receive grants or tax breaks to give city residents preferential consideration when hiring.

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...11.eab71c2.html