An agreement for a land transfer from the City of Detroit to Ilitch Holdings Inc., that enabled construction of a new arena for the Detroit Red Wings requires that 51% of the project’s construction workers must come from the city. That stipulation is creating a challenge for Ilitch, the owner of the Red Wings, due to a shortage of skilled tradespeople who live in the city.
Construction firms that fall short of the hiring goal can still work on the project, but must pay a fee or offer free training and provide instructors and equipment. Many construction workers move out of the city after they acquire skills to earn a better wage. Detroit’s mayor is considering offering low-interest loans on city-owned houses to try to retain construction workers.
The arena construction will create an estimated 5,500 jobs with nearly 2,800 of those workers needing to come from Detroit. The project could become a training ground for tradespeople who will be needed on other major projects in the area including blight removal, the M-1 rail project, and the planned New International Trade Crossing bridge that will span the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
Even if the local hiring requirement weren’t in effect, the arena project would be hard pressed to find enough laborers, carpenters, electricians, pipe fitters and other trades, with the region experiencing a labor shortage due to an aging workforce.
(http://win-semich.org/challenges-loom-to-fill-2800-construction-jobs-in-detroit/)
Related Stories
| Sep 5, 2013
New CM-at-risk and design-build options create controversy in Ohio
Some contractors say Ohio's new system puts small and midsize construction companies at a disadvantage.
| Sep 5, 2013
Outdated codes slowed disaster recovery in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Outdated building codes and lack of a master plan slowed the initial rebuilding stage after a devastating tornado leveled parts of Tuscaloosa, Ala. in 2011, according to the city’s mayor.
| Aug 28, 2013
Building collapse prompts legislation to beef up demolition regulations in Philadelphia
Philadelphia City Council will introduce legislation next month to strengthen the regulation of building demolition practices.
| Aug 28, 2013
Rules requiring contractors to boost hiring of veterans criticized
Some businesses are pushing back against proposed rules requiring federal contractors to step up their hiring of returning military service personnel.
| Aug 28, 2013
OSHA moves to reduced exposure to crystalline silica
Under a proposal from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the new permissible exposure limit to crystalline silica per cubic meter of air could be changed from 250 micrograms to 50 micrograms.
| Aug 28, 2013
IPMSC chooses members of committee for global property measurement standard
The International Property Measurement Standards Coalition (IPMSC) has selected 19 real estate experts from around the world to join its Standards Setting Committee to develop a global standard for measuring property.
| Aug 20, 2013
Code amendment in Dallas would limit building exterior reflectivity
The Dallas City Council is expected to vote soon on a proposed code amendment that would limit a building’s exterior reflectivity of “visible light” to 15%.
| Aug 20, 2013
Developers of Hollywood skyscraper will dig to see if earthquake fault is on site
New York-based Millennium Partners have agreed to dig a trench on a Hollywood, Calif., property to help determine whether an earthquake fault runs under it.
| Aug 20, 2013
Chinese-made resilient flooring products achieve FloorScore Indoor Air Quality certification
Five of China's leading manufacturers of resilient flooring recently received FloorScore Indoor Air Quality certification from SCS Global Services for their luxury vinyl tile (LVT) products.
| Aug 20, 2013
Florida to get $1 million federal grant to study sinkhole vulnerability
The Florida Geological Survey and the state’s emergency department will receive a $1.08 million federal grant to study sinkhole vulnerability.
