Voters in Davidson County, Tenn., will decide on Aug. 6 whether the city will require construction crews for large public projects to use a minimum amount of local labor.
A proposed amendment to the charter governing Nashville and Davidson County would mandate that 40% of work hours on city- or county-funded construction jobs costing at least $100,000 be completed by residents. Labor unions support the proposal that more than 16,000 Nashville voters supported in a petition drive.Â
Opposing the measure are the outgoing mayor, several commercial contractors’ groups, the American Institute of Architects, and the local Chamber of Commerce.
Opponents have argued that because of an industry-wide labor shortage—including a projected shortage of nearly 18,000 workers in Nashville by the end of 2016—construction firms will have difficulty filling the proposed quota of local workers on every project.
Related Stories
Green | Jul 6, 2016
U.S. healthcare system’s GHG emissions rise 30% in past decade
If U.S. healthcare were a country, it would rank 13th in GHG emissions. Â
Codes and Standards | Jul 5, 2016
State legislature fails to pass law to extend design-build for New York City projects
Would have allowed five city agencies to use alternate delivery method. Â
Energy | Jun 30, 2016
Energy Department partnership with CoStar Group will study sustainability impact on property valuation
Database will offer rich data set on energy-efficient buildings in the U.S. Â
Contractors | Jun 30, 2016
Chicago contractor found guilty of fraud on city’s requirement on minority-owned businesses
Alleged to have been sham business in bid to win city public works contract. Â
Codes and Standards | Jun 29, 2016
OSHA starts evaluation of construction industry noise standards
New studies indicate significant number of construction workers suffer hearing loss. Â
Seismic Design | Jun 28, 2016
ASTM International updates seismic risk standards
Expected to improve consistency of risk evaluation on commercial real estate transactions. Â
Codes and Standards | Jun 17, 2016
Feds publish framework for evaluating public-private partnerships
No single factor determines whether a project yields stronger benefit as a P3. Â
AEC Tech | Jun 17, 2016
Driverless cars could soon start impacting commercial, retail project design
Offsite parking and more space for valet parking lines are among the foreseeable changes.
Codes and Standards | Jun 17, 2016
Bay State moves toward single BIM protocol on state projects
Massport’s guidelines a step forward for integrated BIM initiative. Â
Multifamily Housing | Jun 14, 2016
San Francisco voters approve tougher affordability requirement on new housing development
Critics charge that the measure may backfire and actually reduce new affordable units. Â
