WORCESTER —The city is leading the way when it comes to creating opportunities for career development after city councilors unanimously approved an ordinance for apprenticeship requirements for certain construction projects.
Councilor Sean Rose said he believes the measure is the first of its kind in the state, calling the move a model “for the whole commonwealth.”
The ordinance requires 15 percent of the hours spent on construction projects be apprentice hours if the projects have tax increment funding (TIF) or a tax increment exemption, both of which are incentives that encourage developers to work in the city.
Councilors heaped praise on Rose, chairman of the Economic Development Committee, and Peter Dunn, chief development officer for working to develop the ordinance.
Rose and Councilor Sarai Rivera, also a member of the Economic Development Committee, did not seek reelection and will be leaving the council. Both said this ordinance was a priority for them and they’d hoped to see it passed before the end of their terms.
“I’m excited to vote on this today, I’m excited to move this forward,” Rivera said, adding that it will help bring economic equity to the community.
Before taking up the matter, several people spoke in favor of it during the public comment portion of the meeting. Some representing local trades unions, praised the move.
Dan Mulcahy of the Worcester-Fitchburg Building Trades Council said projects in the city “should be model examples of how we grow careers.”
“What matters is opportunity,” he said.
City Manager Eric D. Batista said he’s seen the evolution of the TIF policy since he started working in the city in 2012 and said it’s necessary for everyone to work together in making transformational changes.
Councilors said the move will allow city residents to earn a living wage and to be able to live and work in the city. Graduates from trade schools will have increased opportunities, as well.
Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson said the city has come a long way in working with organized labor since she was elected in 2015. She called the vote a milestone.
“This has been a lot of years in the making,” she said. “And for us to be … sitting here tonight and this is now going to become an ordinance is really a milestone.”
The council will continue to review the ordinance and suggest improvements if they’re needed. They were satisfied that the new ordinance is a move in the right direction and will better the city.
Councilor Kate Toomey said the discussions have gone back many years and she gave kudos to those who worked on the proposal. She said there’s “incredible opportunity for people in the building trades” and those translate to opportunities for young people in the city.
She said everyone worked together to get the ordinance in place.
Counselor George Russell said he was pleased with the ordinance and recalled taking many votes to help local businesses get on their feet only to “drive by that construction site and see that van pull up with New Jersey license plates or license plates from another community, and have a bunch of people jump out from another state and do work here.
“We don’t need that van to come back to Worcester,” he said, noting that Worcester and nearby communities have plenty of people to fill those jobs and with the apprenticeship measure in play, people will be able to train for jobs as skilled tradespeople and work for years to come.
Mayor Joseph Petty thanked Rose and said developing policies takes a long time and thanked Rose and Dunn for their work and advice to the council.
The unanimous vote was met with applause from many in the audience who’d waited nearly 2 hours for the vote.
Kim Ring fell into journalism in the 1980s as a correspondent at the Telegram & Gazette and eventually left her initial career to pursue reporting full time. In her years of writing she has penned articles for several Massachusetts-based publications, taking a brief hiatus to work as chief of staff for a state representative. She can be reached at Kimringwrites@gmail.com
