CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FOURTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-21-192 ENACTMENT NO. ___________________
SPONSORED BY: Benton, Sena, Davis
RESOLUTION
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Requiring The City Of Albuquerque To Enter Into A Project Labor Agreement With The Construction Partners Performing The Construction Of A New Multi-Purpose Soccer Stadium Upon The Bond Approval By New Mexico Voters On The November 2021 Ballot (Benton, Sena, Davis)
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WHEREAS, Resolution R-21-187 proposes to place a Gross Receipts Tax Revenue Bond question on the ballot for the November 2021 election asking “Shall the City of Albuquerque acquire property for, and to design, develop, erect, construct and otherwise improve a public stadium for multiple uses, including, but not limited to, professional soccer events to be financed by up to $50,000,000 of its gross receipts tax revenue bonds?”; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Multi-Purpose Soccer Stadium Feasibility Study (July 23, 2021) identified several possible sites for a public stadium; and
WHEREAS, the construction of a new 10,000 to 12,000-seats stadium will involve a number of structural components beyond the stadium itself, including but not limited to amenities, parking, concessions, meeting rooms, offices, public lobby and other essential structures; and
WHEREAS, a large number of workers of various skills will be required in the performance of the construction work, including those to be represented by unions; and
WHEREAS, for over a decade, community-labor partnerships have been forming in urban areas with the joint goals of providing quality jobs and new opportunities for the community workforce; and
WHEREAS, community workforce agreements, sometimes referred to as a project labor agreements (PLA) or a project stabilization agreements (PSA) have historically functioned to establish the parameters of working conditions and labor relations between the general contractor, the developer and building trades unions on major construction projects; and
WHEREAS, PLAs have provided the opportunity for greater equity in urban economies by helping low income residents get better jobs by using public policy to strengthen industry job quality standards while targeting employment and training opportunities to low-income workers; and
WHEREAS, public entities have seen PLAs as a value-added for projects where the public investment must be safeguarded, in that, PLAs help prevent delays, maintain workplace safety, and ensure high quality construction products, all of which help protect taxpayers’ investments when public money funds some or the entire project.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The City shall establish and enter into a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with all partners performing construction of a new multi-purpose soccer stadium upon an award made in accordance with the City of Albuquerque applicable provisions pertaining to awards of contracts.
SECTION 2. As part of accepting the award of construction of the new multi-purpose soccer stadium, the entity being awarded the contract and any of its subcontractors will have to agree in writing to be bound by each and every provision of the PLA.
SECTION 3. The PLA shall cover site preparation, construction, abatement, demolition, renovation, rehabilitation and improvement involved in the construction of the new multi-purpose soccer stadium.
SECTION 4. The PLA shall combine job quality standards with targeted hiring requirements to include but not be limited to the following specifications:
• provide employment and job training initiatives and opportunities for youth and young adults aged 14-24 years, create a hiring and workforce development program, procurement practices that give preference to local businesses, hold job fairs, hire local residents at all levels, report hiring data, and to the greatest extent possible use local contractors and organized labor for the construction of the public stadium.