It is time to step up our programs to diversify the construction trades.
For years, Local 825 of the International Union of Operating Engineers has participated in programs to recruit women and people of color into its ranks. Efforts have been appreciated but limited in terms of numbers.
It is time to change that and introduce more aggressive recruitment efforts. In this day of social turmoil we all must look to ourselves and ask, “What more can we do to make a difference?”
Diverse training programs
Renowned for our state-of-the-art training center and capability in terms of hands-on instruction for all types of heavy equipment, we have the capacity to train large numbers of new recruits and we stand ready to continue and ramp up this training.
Legislative advocacy
On the legislative front, we applaud the New Jersey Senate for passing bill S-3414. Sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeny and Senator Linda Greenstein and co-sponsored by Senator Nellie Pou, this bill promotes workforce diversity in public works projects and revises the definition of “public works projects” to include Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for more projects. Once enacted, this will create more opportunities to recruit and train minority workers and expand the use of PLAs to apply to highway, bridge, pumping station, water, and sewage treatment plant projects.
Fair wages and career paths
When public improvement projects are approved, they should include provisions to ensure their workers will be provided good wages, good benefits and a career path that promises them a way to support their families, educate their children and save for a decent retirement.
If we are ever to achieve true racial and gender equity, the workforce that builds these roads, bridges, wind farms and other large infrastructure projects must be a true reflection of the population that pays for them in tax dollars and who will use them.
This is true for all projects, from roads to bridges, transit, tunnels, water, solar and wind.
What we can do
Local 825 has a history of proactive training and recruitment efforts. We participate in high school recruitment drives, maintain relationships with county vocational-technical schools, maintain a robust annual apprenticeship program, and open our training center doors to legislators and interested groups to demonstrate the extent of our equipment and training capabilities.
In addition, we are developing new initiatives to step up our efforts to recruit and train women and people of color in the operation of heavy construction equipment.
More information will be unveiled about these initiatives in the coming weeks and months.
