The Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors filed suit against the City of St. Petersburg, Fla., over an ordinance that requires contractors to hire apprentices and disadvantaged workers in order to work on big city projects.
The ABC chapter asserts that the worker mandates for construction contracts worth $1 million or more violate state law, discriminate against certain workers, and raise project costs. The city enacted the ordinance with the goal of addressing a shortage of craft labor skills by giving more people the skills they need for jobs.
One requirement calls for at least 15% of all hours of the work performed on major construction projects to be performed by apprentices employed by prime contractors or subcontractors. The ordinance counts residents of south St. Petersburg, veterans, people who haven’t finished high school, people with a criminal record, and people who have recently received unemployment compensation or other public assistance among disadvantaged workers.
ABC said its members who cannot meet the city’s requirements are at a competitive disadvantage when bidding on public works projects.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jan 30, 2017
Denser development could reduce emissions more than building energy retrofits
More tightly packed cities would cut building emissions significantly, study says.
Codes and Standards | Jan 27, 2017
Calif. legislator proposes statewide solar mandate for new buildings
It would be the first such requirement in the U.S.
Codes and Standards | Jan 25, 2017
Standard baseline for measuring building efficiency needed
EUI could push sustainability through market-driven approach.
Codes and Standards | Jan 23, 2017
Workers, local officials rally for new construction safety law in New York City
The new law would require those who work on 10-story-plus buildings to go through an apprenticeship program.
Codes and Standards | Jan 23, 2017
Prominent Atlanta construction executive faces charges in $1 million bribery scheme
The company has worked on some major projects, including Hartsfield Airport.
Codes and Standards | Jan 20, 2017
New resource lists green incentives by state
USGBC's new Public Policy Library includes tax and energy benchmarking policies.
Codes and Standards | Jan 18, 2017
How green leases benefit owners and tenants
Agreements to spur efficiency upgrades are slowly gaining popularity.
Codes and Standards | Jan 17, 2017
Intl. Code Council looks into code changes for cross-laminated timber structures
Most codes limit CLT structures’ height.
Codes and Standards | Jan 16, 2017
Building codes for existing buildings evaluated in new white paper
The paper examines implementation, enforcement challenges, and changes needed in new code editions.
Codes and Standards | Jan 13, 2017
New BIM guide for owners released
National Institute of Building Sciences releases a manual for developing standard set of BIM documents.