Successes - Continued
Port of Oakland
In 2000, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners adopted a project labor agreement to use for bidding all of the Port of Oakland’s maritime and aviation capital improvements. The agreement has been used for the expansion of the Port including a marine and intermodal rail terminal expansion project and aviation runway and roadway projects – which have been completed on time and on budget. The PLA has ensured streamlined completion of projects and many community benefits – including a hiring preference for local workers and a preference for small local businesses. The PLA also created a social justice program dedicated to improving the surrounding areas. Fifteen cents of each workforce hour is contributed to a Social Justice Trust Fund used to eliminate barriers to construction employment for local workers. Social Trust Fund contributions have been committed in grants to local community based organizations.
Toyota Assembly Plant in San Antonio
Toyota’s commitment to PLAs underscores their economic utility. While Toyota is not a union shop all of Toyota’s manufacturing facilities in the United States have been built under Project Labor Agreements. The new Toyota Assembly plant in San Antonio, Texas was successfully constructed under a PLA. The 2003 agreement stipulated that both union and non-union contractors could bid on the project and non-union contractors could use their core employees on the project. The agreement was crafted to benefit the community by giving a preference in hiring to local workers. Construction on the 2,000 acre facility was completed on time in 2006. Toyota called the facility one of the most advanced automotive plants on earth. The initial project investment was estimated at $800 million but was expanded to $1.28 billion to accommodate a production capacity increase of 50,000 more trucks and increased materials costs.