News Release - Mayor Richards Submits Project Labor Agreement for Midtown Site; Will Lead to More Diverse Workforce and Lower Costs

City of Rochester

News Release

Update: City Council approved this legislation at its Dec. 13 regular meeting.

(Friday, Dec. 2, 2011) – Working with City Council President Lovely A. Warren, Mayor Thomas S. Richards, has submitted legislation to City Council that would establish a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) to represent the commitment by contractors and unions to control costs and increase women and minority representation among construction firms working on the Midtown Rochester Rising development project. In addition, the PLA provides for the creation of a training program that will generate qualified men and women for jobs related to project.

“Construction at the new Midtown infrastructure represents a $30 million investment that will create hundreds of jobs in this community,” said Mayor Richards. “We must do everything we can to have those jobs reflect the diversity of this community while keeping costs from escalating. This agreement will help us do that.”

The agreement with local trade unions would set workforce goals of 20 percent minority and 6.9 percent women participation and create opportunities to realize up to $1.1 million in savings through pre-determined efficiencies. It will affect contracts with firms selected to construct the new street grid, truck and pedestrian tunnels and rehabilitate the underground parking garage.

Seeler Engineering P.C. was retained in September to determine the potential cost savings from the PLA and assist in the negotiation of its terms and conditions.

Many of the benefits of the PLA cannot be precisely translated into dollar savings. These benefits include: avoidance of strikes and other delays from labor disputes; increased productivity through flexible scheduling; assurance of reliable and experienced labor force; avoidance of favoritism by assuring that the PLA benefits are available to all successful bidders, regardless of their union status.

The legislation establishing the PLA was submitted to City Council on Thursday and is set to be considered at the Council’s Dec. 13 meeting. A copy of the PLA is on file in the City Clerk’s Office.

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News Media: For more information, contact City Engineer Jim McIntosh at 428-6828.