Pressley Says Infrastructure Projects Must Be Done 'In A Way That Addresses Longstanding Inequities'

5 months ago

At a House Oversight Committee hearing last week, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) spoke about

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00:00And I would now like to recognize Congresswoman Pressley for five minutes.

00:04Thank you and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. I represent the Massachusetts

00:097th Congressional District. It's a district that is vibrant, diverse, and also deeply

00:15inequitable. As we leverage federal funding flowing from the Biden-Harris administration's

00:21historic investment in our nation's infrastructure, we must do so in a way that addresses

00:25long-standing inequities. In my district, from Cambridge to Roxbury, household median income

00:32drops by $50,000. Project labor agreements, or PLAs, will help us to address these long-standing

00:39inequities, opening the doors for women, people of color, and veterans to enter the trades.

00:45Mr. Snyder, can you discuss how PLAs have been used successfully to increase the participation

00:50of women and workers of color in large-scale construction projects specifically?

00:57Sure. So again, the uniqueness of a PLA is it gives the ability to tailor that agreement for the

01:04community and area that's going to be entertaining that project and that investment. And so you'll

01:10see lots of different vehicles to do that. Some of them may be around how subcontracts get let

01:15to different types of underrepresented businesses. One of the things that every PLA does is it sets

01:21a standard for classifications, whether that's a journey person, an apprentice, a foreman, etc.

01:26Whether they're a woman, a minority, any underrepresented population, if they're a journeyman,

01:31they make the same as every other journeyman on that job site makes. And so from a pay equity

01:36standpoint, it's almost a perfect mechanism to address those issues.

01:40Thank you. You know, these opportunities hit close to home. Massachusetts is really leading

01:45the way in opening career paths for women in the trades, with the Commonwealth achieving greater

01:50gender diversity and inclusion in the construction industry than anywhere else in the nation.

01:56At the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 in Dorchester, for example,

02:0151% of apprentices are women and people of color. These achievements are no accident. They are the

02:09results of state and company officials, union leaders, contractors, and community organizers

02:14coming together to actively recruit women, veterans, and people of color. I ask unanimous consent

02:19to enter into the record this report titled Building Strong Careers and Lasting Infrastructure

02:24from Community Labor United and the Green Justice Coalition in Massachusetts. Without objection.

02:29This report clearly outlines the transformative impact of essential community benefits like

02:34child care and training in PLAs. And they have enabled Massachusetts to make strides

02:40in its equity goals. At the heart of this data, however, are people, lives that have been changed

02:45and families with a chance to finally build generational wealth. Mr. Snyder, how have PLAs

02:51helped ensure that your workers feel valued and productive? So workforce development is

02:59part of almost every PLA I've ever seen. A lot of times that includes things that are

03:03apprenticeship programs to bring folks in, but they also set the standards for wages that help

03:10build the middle class, but also benefit packages that help to do that as well. Those are retirement

03:15vehicles, health and welfare contributions that allow people to take care of their families

03:20and grow that wealth. There are also a number of vehicles that occur through that process that

03:24help those people get the skills necessary to advance through the classification system and

03:29the growth in the industry. We see many, many small businesses that are grown out of the trades

03:35that develop as a result of PLAs that bring underrepresented populations into the workforce,

03:41teach them how to do it, and then there are additional vehicles that help them even start

03:45businesses. And so those opportunities are pretty significant in the workforce development front.

03:50Thank you. Valuing and affirming workers does not have to come at the expense of profits. In fact,

03:58a study found that projects with PLAs reduce costs compared to projects without such agreements.

04:03At the same time, these agreements can serve as economic justice documents, as gender equity

04:09documents, and racial equity documents by investing in our most valuable infrastructure, which is

04:15our people. Massachusetts is making a plane. PLAs are the mechanism for finishing projects on time

04:21and on budget while increasing diversity in the trades. And I look forward to continuing

04:25this progress. Thank you, and I yield back. Thank you. I'd now like to recognize Congressman

Pressley Says Infrastructure Projects Must Be Done 'In A Way That Addresses Longstanding Inequities'

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