Equal Opportunity…..Let’s Look at AGC’s Record vs. The City
of San Diego’s Record…….Continued!!!
By Jim Ryan, AGCSD Executive Vice President
This is the third (and final!!!!) article concerning the
City of San Diego’s regular efforts to accuse our industry
of racism and discrimination. This all started a few weeks
ago when Councilmember
Tony Young was quoted in a San Diego City Council Rules
Committee meeting saying… “We
believe that there probably is, almost for sure, that there
is some discrimination going on in this City, there is some
racism going on in this City.” This
was quote was in reference to the figures that were being
presented to the Committee concerning the participation of
minority owned firms on City of San Diego construction
projects.
Mayor
Sanders “apologized” to the minority community for the
city’s lack of action in
this area and Councilmember Donna Frye also “chimed” in…..
inferring that we were not doing our part.
The truth
is that the City’s programs over the past several decades
have all failed. They were either illegal or just plain did
not work.
AGC, on the other hand, has initialed a series of programs
that have successfully brought diversity to our industry and
accomplished this the right way. Last week, I detailed the
accomplishments of the AGC Apprenticeship and Training
Trust. The Trust, formed in 1988, was the first
Apprenticeship program to welcome individuals of all
ethnicities and backgrounds….over 70% of AGC’s Apprentices
have been and are non-Caucasian…and now those individuals
are maturing into responsible positions within the industry
and are assuming ownership of a multitude of firms.
In
addition AGCSD has been involved in the following programs:
Mentor
Protégé Program
The AGCSD /City of San Diego’s Mentor Protégé Program has
been an outstanding success. Eight firms have participated
and are well on their way to becoming strong members of the
San Diego construction community. Each firm, owned by a
minority or female, has been mentored by an AGCSD member
firm. The results……balance sheets are stronger….bonding
capacities have increased exponentially, and each firm has
learned how to compete in the industry. AGCSD has
encouraged the city to accept more protégés for the program,
but the City has been trying to “go slow”.
The AGCSD Board has decided that it will continue as the
City’s partner in this program, but AGCSD also will move
forward with a private program that can match more AGCSD
Mentors with protégé firms. This effort will begin in 2008.
Just think….if the City had focused all of their resources
on a Mentor Protégé Program for the past 30 years this whole
situation would not exist. The problem with the Mentor
Protégé program is that our elected leaders want instant
results. The only way to produce instant results is a quota
program….which ends up forcing sham and non qualified firms
into the industry.
Construction
Tech Academy
In
the mid 1990’s, AGC, other construction associations, and
the building trades unions, teamed together to convince the
San Diego Unified School District to start Construction
Tech. Construction Tech graduated its second class this
past June.
The industry remodeled the space Construction Tech occupied
in Kearny High School ($600,000 in donations) and has
supported the program financially ever since. The AGCSD
Apprenticeship Trust has donated $25,000 to CTA each year.
The results…..this highly diverse student body has placed
graduates in apprenticeship programs, as well as in
construction/engineering programs at various universities.
This summer AGCSD members participated in a program that
provided summer jobs for 10 highly motivated CTA Students.
The students were all non-Caucasian. AGC sponsored
transportation services from Cloud 9 Shuttle students to
ensure transportation to their jobs.
In
addition, eight of the June CTA graduates were accepted into
the SDSU Construction Engineering and Management Program.
AGCSD provided scholarships for the tuition for each of
these students. These students were primarily
non-Caucasian.
We
are confident that these students will eventually make a
significant contribution to the construction industry.
Again, this type of program is too slow for our political
leaders. Quotas must work better than 4 years of solid
construction education in high school.
SDSU JR
Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program
Since the late 1990’s, AGCSD has worked to bring a first
class Construction Engineering and Management Program (CEM)
to the San Diego area. AGCSD members donated over
$5,000,000 to make this happen. This program became a
reality this year when it was listed in the SDSU Catalog,
and over 50 students entered the freshman class.
Why is this significant? If this program were not here, it
would be nearly impossible for students with limited
resources to find their way into a construction engineering
program. Going to San Luis Obispo (Cal State University-
San Luis Obisco has a similar CEM program) is not an option
for many from the minority community. But going to SDSU is
an option. We fully expect to see SDSU enroll a very
diverse student body that is reflective of San Diego’s
population. The CTA students that enrolled this year would
probably have moved on to other non-construction careers if
this program did not exist. The SDSU CEM Program will help
bring a whole new group of diverse leaders into our
industry.
But….this is not fast enough for our political
leaders……quotas must work better than a solid education in
construction engineering!!!!
Junior
Achievement’s BizTown
Earlier this year, AGCSD pledged $75,000 to JA’s new BizTown
just off Mission Gorge Road. AGCSD is the “Construction
Company” in this program that also includes a number of
other JA business partners. During a typical year, over
12,000 fifth graders will go to BizTown….and be exposed to a
career in our industry. Obviously, the students going to
BizTown are a reflection of the diversity in our community.
We are planting the construction “seed” early, and we are
confident this project will increase the interests of all
San Diego students in construction as a career.
Again, this does not bring the instant gratification of a
quota system, but this will work!!!
AGCSD
Project Management Course
Two years ago, AGCSD’s Education Committee approved an
intense 26 week Project Management Course for employees of
AGCSD members. This program is an effort to enhance the
careers of the future leaders of the industry. To date, we
have had approximately 100 graduates….nearly 40% have been
minority or female students. These students are well on
their way to assuming leadership and ownership positions in
the San Diego construction industry.
Conclusion
So…….the criticism AGC and the industry receives from our
elected leaders concerning diversity in our industry is
simply not warranted. AGC’s programs may not have the
political appeal of a quota system for our political
leaders, but our programs will actually accomplish
something.
Councilmember Young…we will no longer accept being accused
of racism and practicing discrimination. Nothing could be
further from the truth!!!!!
An Open Letter to the Members of San Diego’s Building Trades
Unions
Dear Building Trades Union
Members:
We
thought you would like to be updated on the latest news
concerning the “epic battle” your local leaders are waging
for you: to “protect” you from having nearly a
$1,000,000,000 (yes, billion!) construction project to work
on in San Diego. You should all be “proud” of the fact that
Jerry Butkiewicz, the head of the AFL CIO Labor Council, Tom
Lemmon, the head of the local Building Trades Council, and
Al Shur the head of the IBEW have done everything they
possibly can to stop Gaylord Entertainment from building
this resort project in Chula Vista. They have justified this
position by alleging that Gaylord will not use local labor
unless they sign a Project Labor Agreement for the project.
Well, in Sunday’s Business Section of the
Union Tribune,
there was an article that researched the allegations your
leaders have been making concerning Gaylord and their track
record concerning using “local” labor on their construction
projects. You see, Gaylord has built a few of these
projects around the country, so one of the UT reporters
contacted local officials in those areas and asked about the
local labor on the projects during construction.
Jerry Lozupone is the head of the Building Trades Council in
Washington, DC, where Gaylord is building a project similar
to the proposed Chula Vista project. This project is
nearing completion, so there is a local labor track record.
Lozupone said that Gaylord has been using local contractors
and local labor…..and even when they do not use local
contractors the contractors have been using local labor. He
went on to say that he did not aggressively pursue a PLA on
the project…..and union members still built about 80% of the
project.
When other Gaylord projects were researched, it appeared
that the results were the same.
When confronted with these facts your leader, Tom Lemmon
said “ We aren’t talking about Gaylord anymore.”
So
let’s compare your leaders to the Washington, DC labor
leaders. In Washington, DC, union members have been
steadily working on a huge project…..building several
hundred millions of dollars of construction for Gaylord.
They have been taking those paychecks home every week. Your
leaders, on the other hand, have decided that it is better
to pass on several hundred million dollars of construction
that you could be working on in order to “protect” you.
Hmmm….that is really confusing. Maybe you should contact
Jerry Lozupone in Washington DC and see if he would like to
work in San Diego
Sincerely,
Jim Ryan
AGCSD Executive Vice President
Jack Filanc to be Honored with Good Scout Award for 2007
On
Wednesday, October 10, the San Diego-Imperial Council, Boy
Scouts of America, will be honoring former Scoutmaster,
Troop 777 of Encinitas,
Jack R. Filanc (Filanc
Construction) with its Good Scout Award for
2007. Jack will be recognized at the Council’s 2nd
Annual Construction and Building Industry Lunch-O-Ree,
beginning at 12 Noon at the Mission Valley Marriott.
John Elliott of
Roel Construction
received the first Good Scout Award in 2006.
As we all know,
Jack has been a leader in the construction industry since
1952, and he continues to live by the Scout Oath and Law,
and has instilled those values in his business and everyday
life. His dedication, hard work, and integrity
have contributed significantly to the growth and vitality of
San Diego.
The Lunch-O-Ree is not only a special way to honor Jack, but
it also is a great way to support continued growth of Boy
Scouts in our communities. The money raised at the lunch
will help fund programs for over 30,000 scouts in San Diego
and Imperial Counties.
We
have
attached a
flyer/registration about the luncheon,
which includes a listing of sponsorship opportunities.
.
If you have any questions or would like to be a sponsor,
please contact David Hodges, Finance Director, at
619-298-6121 ext. 255, or at
dhodges@bsamail.org
AGC of America Economist to Discuss Construction Costs on
October 11
With construction costs on the rise and continued economic
uncertainty, we thought to would be a good time to have an
expert tell us what is happening in the economy and what it
implies for construction and related industries.
AGC of America’s Chief
Economist, Ken
Simonson, will be at the AGC on Thursday, October
11 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
Click here for registration form (no charge)
for you to complete.
The non-residential construction industry has thrived in
2007, despite the housing meltdown, credit turmoil, and
materials costs spikes. Can it continue, and which segments
of the industry are most vulnerable? These are some of the
questions Ken will provide to contractors and public
agencies from throughout the region who are concerned about
how the rising construction costs are affecting their
budgets.
Ken has 30 years of experience analyzing, advocating and
communicating about economic and tax issues. Before joining
AGC, he was senior economic advisor in the U.S. Small
Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Earlier, he
was vice president and chief economist for the American
Trucking Association. He also worked with the President’s
Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, and an
economic consulting firm.
Ken writes a weekly e-mail newsletter for AGC,
The Data Digest,
which provides 8,000 readers with the latest economic news
relevant to construction. He is often interviewed quoted by
local and national media, and he is often referenced in San
Diego news stories.
County
Water Authority Looking for Contractors to Raise San Vicente
Dam
The San Diego County Water Authority is set to bid two
projects (totaling $300-350 million) that will raise the San
Vicente Dam by as much as 117 feet using roller-compacted
concrete (RCC) to increase water supply reliability to the
region. Two contractor workshops will be held on
Wednesday, September 26, at
9 AM and 1 PM. This outreach/networking
opportunity will allow potential contractors,
subcontractors, suppliers, manufacturers, and designers to
learn about key project features, participate in a tour, ask
questions, and provide input on project design, packaging,
and sequencing.
The
workshops will be held at San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.
If you would like to attend one of the workshops or would
like additional information, please contact Carmen Sandoval
at (858) 751-1210 or
sanvicente@mwhglobal.com.
More information can be obtained at the Water Authority’s
website,
www.sdcwa.org.
Proposed
Package - Foundation Excavation/Access Road Grading.
