It has come to our attention that the Baltimore City Council, in addition to debating the full provisions of tax incremental financing for Sagamore Development's Port Covington development, may also take up local organized labor's request to impose restrictive project labor agreements on the project.
As certified minority- and women-owned businesses, we support the approval of TIF financing for the project because it will put thousands of deserving city residents to work.
However, we oppose the restrictive covenants of structured PLAs because their negative effects will be felt most by the hundreds of minority- and women-owned businesses in Baltimore City that will be forced to bid for contracts and, if successful, operate their business under extremely onerous conditions.
PLAs are collective bargaining agreements that have been in use since the 1930s. They apply to a specific construction projects and last only for the duration of the project. PLAs guarantee the project will employ union labor, pay specific wages and benefits, and lay out binding procedures for resolving resolve labor disputes. In the case of Port Covington, the PLA there could run for 20 years or more.
Perhaps as little as 5 percent of their signature trades are owned by minority- and women-owned firms. Equally, the local building trades' work force may not reflect the majority minority population in Baltimore City. Therefore, others from outside the city will only benefit from new employment created solely by an all Baltimore City-backed project.
We understand that several of our City Council members support the inclusion of a PLA for Port Covington. Please understand that the proposed PLA is for construction only and not for civil service or maintenance-type jobs through which many city residents find employment in the public sector.
To make up this shortfall, the Building Trades Union will once again import labor from around the state, region and country to meet the increased demand. Local minority and women-owned firms already employ great local skilled labor and are ready to participate.
Should the City Council ultimately decide in favor of the proposed PLA, this decision will spell doom for certified minority and women-owned businesses in Baltimore City and their skilled local workforce. We urge council members to vote "Yes" to a TIF that will put people to work but "No" on the proposed Project Labor Agreement.
Wayne R. Frazier Sr., Baltimore
The writer is president of the Md. Washington Minority Companies Association. Co-signing the letter are: Andra Cain, CEO of Cain Contracting, Inc.; Barry C. Curtis, president of Best Fence, LLC; Joshua C. Matthews, CEO of JCM Control Systems, Inc.; Lenzie Johnson III, CEO of L&J Waste Recycling, LLC; Kara Dzurek Dipietro, CEO of HMC, Inc.; Delores L. McKinney, CEO of Eminence Group; Jose Ortiz, CEO of Allstate Floors & Construction, Inc.; Namdi Iwuoha, managing member of JLN Construction Services, LLC; Linda Sue "Susie" Comer, CEO of Comer Construction, Inc.; Jeffrey L. Hargrave, CEO of Mahogany, Inc.; Michael Davis, Sr. managing partner of Magothy Technology, LLC; Randy Wells Sr., CEO of Gryphon Contracting, Inc.; Marylene Carter, president of Nay Ty, Inc.; Stella M. Miller, president of Stella May Contracting, Inc.; Nelson Machado, president of Machado Construction Co., Inc.; and Debra Keller-Green, chairwoman of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce.