Employment Advisory Committee Meetings
EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE
MINUTES
November 3, 2005
Members Present
Commissioner Faye Woo Lee, Molly Baier, Bridgett N. Brown, Jerry Jones, Ronnie Rhoe
Members Absent
John Crowley, Suzanne Korey, Jose Bondoc
Staff Present
Linda Chin, Kabir Hypolite, Mary Gin Starkweather
Guests
Donna Levitt, Lynn Khaw, Don Hesse, and Cormac Kilgallen
Call to Order/ Roll Call
The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Faye Woo Lee at 1:32p.m. A quorum was present.
Approval of Agenda
Jerry Jones moved to adopt the agenda. Bridgett Brown seconded and the motion was carried unanimously with no discussion.
Approval of October 6, 2005 Meeting Minutes
Molly Baier moved to adopt the October 6, 2005 Employment Committee minutes. Bridgett Brown seconded and the motion was carried unanimously with no discussion.
Commissioners Report
None
Staff Report
Kabir Hypolite presented an update on the All of Us or None (AOUN) Proposal. On October 27, 2005, at the Human Rights Commission meeting, the Commissioners voted and approved a revision of the letter recommended by the Employment Committee.
Public Comment for items not on the Agenda
There were no public comments.
New Business
- Don Hesse – Manager, First Source Program reported on the various programs in the One Stop Career Link Center. Ron Li, Director of the One Stop Shop was called for Jury Duty today and was not able to make the presentation.
The One-Stop Career Centers offer a variety of free job search, career development and employment sources for all San Francisco jobseekers and employers. The Centers offer referral services, group counseling, career assessment, job skills assessments, and workshops. The concept of the One Stop center was to have all the employment services under one roof. There are three One Stop Career centers located in San Francisco. The main center with the most services offered is located on 3120 Mission Street. The other centers are located one at the EDD office at 301 Turk Street and at Southeast Career Center located on 1800 Oakdale Avenue.
The One Stop Career Center consists of partnerships, a mixture of local agencies and non-profits that receive Federal funding. The list of program partners is included in the packet. Funding comes from all the partners that have offices and provide services at the center. Each program partner provides their own staff and pays part of the rent and for the day to day operations.
The CityBuild Program also provides staff at the One Stop Career Center. The program concentrates mainly on Construction employment. The staff from the City Build program offers Construction employment orientation programs every Thursday night at 6:00p.m.
The services are available to anyone who walks in the door. The only requirement is registration. After the registration is completed, each person would receive a "swipe card" for tracking purposes. According to the Bay Guardian, the One Stop Center was the best place to find a job in San Francisco. The report included in the packet on customers served as of September 30, 2005 includes the statistical data from 2003.
The One Stop Center will go through the resumes, transcripts and verify information on the driver’s license for preparation of the interviews. The services offered for employers are very positive.
Ronnie Rhoe asked the following question:
Some of the Chinatown agencies are hesitant in sending language minority persons to the One-Stop centers. Are there some ways to allow language minority persons to navigate the system in a sensible way or how possible is it for a satellite office in Chinatown?
Don Hesse responded:
It would make perfect sense to open one in Chinatown.
Molly Baier asked the following question:
Any thoughts on day labor?
Don Hesse responded:
The City funds a day labor program. Worker’s compensation is most important. The One Stop center does request from everyone a copy of his or her social security card to complete the registration process.
- Donna Levitt – Manager, Mayor’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement and Lynn Khaw – Principal Administrative Analyst, Office of Contract Administration reported on the Sweat Free Ordinance. Ms. Khaw stated that the Sweat Free Ordinance is the result of the grassroots campaign of more than sixty community anti-sweat shop community groups and it was led by the San Francisco Human Rights Organization Global Exchange.
The Sweat Free Ordinance prohibits contractors and subcontractors who provide goods to the City from maintaining sweatshop conditions by violating labor and employment, health and safety, or environmental laws or standards, and requiring compliance with minimum wage and other employment and labor standards. The effective date is September 16, 2005 and on February 16, 2006, the City and County is required to create a procurement advisory group with 11 members. The Ordinance shall be administered by the Director of the Office of Contract Administration and enforced by the Director and the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement.
During the first full fiscal year of the City and County after the effective date of the ordinance, the Ordinance shall be enforced only as to contracts for apparel, garments and corresponding accessories, materials, supplies and equipment. The City and County has a $2.1 million dollar expenditure for 2005-2006
The Board of Supervisors have set aside $100,000 for 2005-2006 to enforce this ordinance. Ms. Levitt stated that the contractors and subcontractors must allow random inspections, and provide City workers access to workers and payroll records. Contractors or subcontractors who fail to comply shall be material breach of contract, may be imposed with liquidated damages, termination of contract, and debarment of the contractor or subcontractor.
Ms. Khaw introduced Alex Tom from the Chinese Progressive Association, one of the original community agencies in support of the ordinance. Mr. Tom stated that this ordinance follows the lead of the Los Angeles Sweat Free Ordinance. He also stated that the political will in San Francisco was much stronger than in Los Angeles. The budget in Los Angeles was also $100,000. Mr. Tom stated that the City of Berkeley has responded positively toward the Sweat Free ordinance. However, no funding is available. Mr. Tom also stated that there should be a local preference for local vendors.
There was active discussion on the issue.
Jerry Jones asked the following question:
Who selects the 11 members to be on the advisory committee?
Lynn Khaw responded:
Five members from the Mayor, five members from the Board of Supervisors, and one from the Controller. The advisory committee should have a member active in human rights issues, one representing the Labor Council and another with experience in purchasing.
Old Business
Announcements/Calendar Matters
The next regular meeting of the Employment Committee will be held:
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Time: 1:30pm
Place: 25 Van Ness Ave 8th Fl.
San Francisco, CA, 94102
Adjournment
Molly Baier moved to adjourn the meeting in memory of Rosa Parks and Bridgett Brown seconded the motion to adjourn at 2:59 p.m. The motion was approved unanimously. A moment of silence was observed in memory of Rosa Parks.