South Waterfront apprenticeship deal finally gets signatures

“This agreement is significant for all of the partners of the South Waterfront Central District and will serve as a model for future private/public partnerships,” said Portland Development Commission Executive Director Bruce Warner before signing the agreement at a special ceremony Dec. 14 that included project developers, union officials and commissioners and staff of PDC.

Partners in the agreement are Oregon Health & Science University, River Campus Investors, North Macadam Inc., PDC, most of the affiliates of the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council, and the Carpenters Union.

“The partners have agreed to be accountable for developing a program to recruit, train and employ minorities and women in the construction trades, which is significant not only to the South Waterfront, but to the city as a whole,” Warner said.

“Homer (partner Homer Williams) and I are pleased to be working with the unions,” said Dike Dames of Williams & Dames Development Co. “I’m a doer. We’re going to try to make something happen here.”

A Workforce Diversity Strategy was initially established by PDC and the City of Portland and agreed to by the trade unions in June 2004. But some language in that strategy was not supported by developers or OHSU, so the parties returned to the bargaining table. Last October, a final draft came before PDC commissioners that was agreeable to all parties. The commission unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing execution of the project apprenticeship agreement.

The goal is to have 35 percent women and minorities — 20 percent ethnic minority and 15 percent women — employed on a project-by-project basis in South Waterfront by the year 2014. Initially, the ratio is set at 4 percent women and 12 percent minorities, with incremental increases each year.

The project apprenticeship agreement will apply to all construction work performed by general contractors under contracts in excess of $200,000 and by subcontractors under contracts in excess of $100,000. Contractors will be required to have apprenticeship training programs in order to bid on the work.

“This agreement shows a true partnership between the PDC, owners and unions in working towards a common goal of diversifying the workforce and ensuring that graduates will have marketable skills that will benefit their families and communities,” said Nelda Wilson, assistant business manager of Operating Engineers Local 701.

PDC is coordinating the $1.9 billion South Waterfront project, a 31-acre parcel of vacant industrial land on the Willamette River waterfront south of downtown that is being developed with public and private money into a neighborhood with a mix of jobs, housing, retail and recreation.

An oversight committee consisting of union officials, developers, OHSU and PDC will meet regularly to review progress of the project apprenticeship agreement.

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