MAYOR DOMENIC J. SARNO EXECUTES TWO EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCES DURING CEREMONIAL SIGNING
August 11, 2009 – Surrounded by labor leaders and officials from the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council today, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno ceremonially signed two ordinances that will put Springfield residents and contractors first for City contracts and employment. The Springfield Employer Ordinance, and the Public Construction Employment for Springfield Residents, Minorities and Women Ordinance went into law last month.
The purpose of the Responsible Employer Ordinance is to ensure that employees of public construction projects receiving municipal funds are paid at a lawfully required prevailing wage, have been trained in bona fide state registered apprenticeship programs, have hospitalization, medical and pension coverage, and are provided industrial accident coverage, and are properly classified as employees and not as independent contractors.
The Public Construction Employment for Springfield Residents, Minorities and Women Ordinance will ensure that residents of Springfield, and a diversity of people qualified by craft, are part of the benefit from public construction projects granted by the City. The Ordinance aims at extending employment opportunities for these classifications through compliance.
Mayor Sarno stated “these ordinances ensure that trained qualified individuals with vested interests in Springfield and a desire to move Springfield forward will benefit from the awarding of public construction projects in the City of Springfield.” “Springfield residents, minorities and women are the beneficiaries of these important ordinances,” added Sarno.
Dan D’Alma, President of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council and Business Manager of IBEW Local 7, stated “The Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council applauds Mayor Sarno and the City Council for passing the ordinances.” “They will ensure we will have responsible contractors working on Springfield construction projects and that city residents, women and minorities benefit from this work,” added D’Alma.
