Not a single construction project in Boston over the past four years has met all the rules intended to diversify the construction industry and increase the number of city residents working on construction sites, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
The Boston Residents Jobs Policy, a city ordinance, requires 51% of work hours on a project go to Boston residents. It also mandates that 40% of work hours go to workers of color, and 12% of work hours go to women. The rules apply to any private development over 50,000 sf and any public project.
Some projects did meet some of the requirements, the Globe reported. Nine exceeded the threshold for women’s work hours; 48 met or exceeded the requirement of 40% of working hours going to workers of color. Just one had more than 51% of working hours for city residents.
Only three companies were fined for violating the policy by a commission with oversight of the ordinance. The companies were fined for failing to submit payroll records in a timely manner, not for violating hiring goals.
The Globe reported that the commission is reluctant to fine companies for not meeting hiring goals for fear of prompting lawsuits that could nullify the ordinance.
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.
| 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 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.
| Aug 19, 2013
Philadelphia to enforce building energy benchmarking in October
The City of Philadelphia has begun to send out compliance notices regarding its Building Energy Benchmarking Law.
| Aug 19, 2013
Eliminating Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac part of Obama’s housing proposal
President Barack Obama this month outlined a series of policies he said would continue to boost the housing market, including a long-ignored legislative proposal that would allow more Americans to refinance at current low mortgage rates.
| Aug 8, 2013
EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator aids developers
The Environmental Protection Agency has released an application called the National Stormwater Calculator that uses soil conditions and rainfall records to estimate annual rainfall and runoff for any location in the U.S.
| Aug 2, 2013
Threat of more powerful coastal storms could curtail development
Led by Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project, researchers mapped the intensity of hazards posed to communities living along America’s coastlines from rising seas and ferocious storms now and in the decades to come.
| Jul 17, 2013
Louisiana governor signs $250 million bill for 29 community college projects
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law this month a bill that provides $251.6 million for 29 projects at Louisiana Community and Technical College campuses.
