Employment Advisory Committee Meetings
EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE
MINUTES
November 4, 2004
Members Present
Commissioner Larry Lee, Commissioner Faye Woo Lee, Bridgett Brown, Jerry Jones, Greg Marutani, Judy Starbuck Sorro, Ronnie Rhoe, and Guillermo Romero
Members Absent
Stan Warren, Rodney Hampton, Norma Tecson, F. Ross Woodall, and Len Vetrone
Staff Present
Linda Chin, Kabir Hypolite, Mary Gin Starkweather, and Frank Anderson
Guests
George Bridges and Robert Godfrey
Call to Order/ Roll Call
The meeting was called to order at 1:35p.m. A quorum was present.
Approval of Agenda
Commissioner Larry Lee moved to adopt the agenda. Greg Marutani seconded and the motion was carried unanimously with no discussion.
Approval of Minutes
Commissioner Faye Woo Lee noted one correction in the minutes regarding the spelling of her name in a paragraph. Commissioner Larry Lee moved to adopt the October 7, 2004 minutes. Greg Marutani seconded and the minutes were unanimously adopted.
Public Comment for items not on the Agenda
No comment
Commissioner’s Report
Commissioner Larry Lee reported that the HRC Commission was excited about re-instating the "Shops" programs back into the Unified School District. The Building Trades would be working closely with the Unified School District to create other alternatives for students who wish to learn a trade instead of going to college.
Commissioner Faye Woo Lee stated that she and Commissioner Larry Lee invited Director Virginia Harmon to this Employment Committee meeting to discuss the concerns of the community. Director Harmon accepted the invitation but at the last minute, she was called to the Mayor’s office.
Frank Anderson, Sr. Contract Compliance Officer represented Director Harmon at this meeting.
Commissioner Faye Woo Lee stated that the See’s Candies complaint will be referred to the State of California Department of Fair Employment & Housing. See’s Candies is located in South San Francisco, therefore, the HRC does not have the jurisdiction. The HRC has jurisdiction only over businesses that are located in the City & County of San Francisco, or businesses that have a contract with the City & County of San Francisco.
Staff Report:
Frank Anderson, Sr. Contract Compliance Officer provided a report on the progress of the employment workforce goals working group. Mr. Anderson reported that three members of the working group were also members of the employment committee and he asked the members to also provide information to the committee. Mr. Anderson reported that the employment workforce goals working group received very poor response and support in the request to obtain employment data information from designated persons, including two members of this committee. Second letters requesting for the data information from the first letter were sent out. There were probably only three responses out of thirty written requests. Mr. Anderson stated that the Redevelopment Agency was very helpful and responsive to the working group’s request.
New Business
George Bridges, Contract Compliance Specialist presented information on the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Employment Program. The Redevelopment Agency’s mission is designed to help local government in revitalizing their communities. It encourages new development, jobs and generates tax revenues in declining urban areas by developing partnership between public and private entities. Authorized by the State of California, the Agency acts as the City’s real estate developer in an effort to spur economic growth. By using its unique powers to focus public investment in the City’s blighted areas, the Agency helps attract and guide private investment to improve living and working conditions and increase revenues to the City and County of San Francisco by enlarging the tax base.
The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency is not subject to the City Charter as it applies to Chapter 12B, however the Agency is governed by a seven member Commission that establishes policies addressing permanent employment and construction workforce activities for all Agency developments. The Agency Commission and Executive Director provide the contract compliance department with full support to carry out our permanent and construction workforce program goals and objectives.
Active project areas include the following:
Western Addition A-2 Yerba Buena Center
Hunters Point Shipyard Rincon Point/South Beach
India Basin Industrial Park Bayview Hunter’s Point
South of Market Mission Bay North and South
Over the past 10 years, the Agency has developed over one hundred projects including such high visibility projects as the Sony Metreon, One Church Street and Yerba Buena Gardens. Minorities accounted for nearly sixty percent of the workforce hours and a total female participation of 4.3% of total hours with almost 25% of the workforce residents of the City and county of San Francisco.
We have found that it is very important when project are initially introduced to the Agency, that the project managers share the responsibility to inform the developers of their obligation to comply with the Agency’s Equal Opportunity Program (EOP). In the past, a development specialist may have been working a project for months without bringing in contract compliance. This does not afford compliance staff the opportunity to sell the program to the developer and get them to commit to the EOP, which often gives you leverage if compliance becomes an issue.
Construction Workforce Program
- Goal for minority group participation in each trade: 25.6 percent (current Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs,) of the total hours worked in the trade.
- Goal for female participation in each trade: 6.9 percent (current Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs,) of the total hours worked in the trade.
- Goal for participation of San Francisco residents in each trade: 50 percent of the total hours worked in the trade. Residents of San Francisco shall be given first consideration for hiring followed by other persons.
Contractors are required to make good faith efforts to meet the above goals. To assist contractors in meeting the goals, the Agency contracts with the following three project area community-based organizations (CBOs): Ella Hill Hutch Community Center in the Western Addition, Mission Hiring Hall for the Yerba Buena, Mission Bay and South of Market project areas and Young Community Developers in the Bay View Hunters Point area.
To assist contractors in meeting the goals, the Agency includes a representative of the project area CBO in all preconstruction meetings which all contractors are required to attend prior to them starting work. The purpose is to have the CBO involved in the process as early as possible.
Mr. Bridges also presented an Employee Utilization Report (Summary by Job, & Trade) for the MB Block 28 Construction project. This project was completed in 2002 and the overall participation was 23%. The goal was 50 percent and the project area CBO was Young Community Developers.
Mr. Bridges stated that it is a "win, win" situation working with the CBOs.
Robert Godfrey, General Manager presented information on the Maintrain Janitorial Training program. Maintrain Maintenance Training Corporation is a self-supporting vocational training and employment program. This program was created in 1979 to provide On-the Job-Training, English language instruction, and job placement services for disadvantaged adult immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Maintrain is an independent agency, with its own Board of Directors since1979. Maintrain has graduated over 60 trainees per year, 40 percent men and 60 percent women, and the successful rate for job placement for graduates is 90 percent. Over the past 24 years, Maintrain has helped more than 1400 families achieve financial independence.
Maintrain’s budget is 95 percent generated by janitorial contracts, including contracts with the sponsors of On-the-Job-Training; these training sites are mainly located in the Chinatown and financial districts of San Francisco. Additionally, Maintrain provides sidewalk sweeping and steam cleaning service throughout the neighborhood.
The Maintrain Janitorial Certificate Program is an intensive six-month program of janitorial training, hands on janitorial work and English language classes for limited English speakers (Minimum ESL 200 required).
Students receive a monthly public transportation pass, and a stipend of $160.00 per month during the course of training. The program’s job placement services are free and graduates are encouraged to return for help as they develop their careers. Graduates have been successful in seeking Civil Service Custodial jobs in San Francisco. San Francisco City College also offers a custodial Training course called Class 108. The class is offered at the Evan Campus located at 1400 Evans Avenue.
Maintrain is located at: 777 Stockton Street, Suite 202
San Francisco, CA. 94108
Phone: (415) 398-3353
Old Business
Guillermo Romero, Outreach Recruiter for the San Francisco City College presented a very informative report on the Construction program and classes offered. The Construction trades include concrete, carpentry, electricity & plumbing. All three programs are 6 weeks long, a total of four months of training. The program also includes a Blueprint reading class, which is taught by Mr. Romero.
Mr. Romero announced a new class, the Motorcycle repair course offered at S.F. City College.
There was active discussion among committee members regarding future agenda items, fewer presentations, and allowing more time for discussion immediately following a presentation.
Public Comments
None
Announcements
None
Adjournment
Jerry Jones moved to adjourn. Greg Marutani seconded and the motion was carried unanimously.
Next Meeting
Thursday, December 2, 2004
1:30pm to 3:30pm
25 Van Ness Avenue, 8th Floor, San Francisco, 94102