Title
Acknowledging the administration for publicly declaring their commitment to prioritizing diversity and inclusion for the upcoming Rebuild initiative by setting attainable participation goals for the project, and further recommending organizational strategies and various policy proposals that must be employed in partnership with the building trades unions and City Council that will bolster efforts to attract and retain local, Philadelphia-based union workers, as well as increase the number of Minority-, Women-, and Disabled-owned business enterprises, with the long-term goal of sustainably increasing diversity in the building trades.
Body
WHEREAS, For many, getting a "good union job" with one of the building trades has historically been a path to achieving working and middle class attainment. But unfortunately, a common reality for many Philadelphians of color and women is that when they see development projects and construction happening in their neighborhood, they don't see many people who look like them working on the construction sites, and equally frustrating is the fact that not enough Philadelphia residents are getting these jobs; and
WHEREAS, The soon-to-be-launched Rebuild initiative, which will provide approximately $600 million of investments in the City's parks, recreation centers, and libraries, provides an historic opportunity to address the long-standing problem of under-representation of people of color and women on construction sites. The administration and building trades unions are formalizing their agreement relative to diversity and inclusion for Rebuild by negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding, and the administration has committed to a goal of 40% minority and female participation in Rebuild; and
WHEREAS, While the 40% minority and women participation goal for Rebuild is a start, the overall goal should be to grow the "economic pie" and provide work to groups of people who have not traditionally benefited from the City's...
Click here for full text