City announces labor deal for women and minority-owned businesses

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is taking steps to direct an increased number of city construction contracts to women and minority-owned businesses.

The deal, reached with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and announced Thursday, would pertain to $8 billion in projects on city-owned buildings through 2018. Currently, only 4 percent of city business is conducted with women and minority-owned operations, a number that the administration is hoping to increase, the Associated Press reported.

“This agreement will help ensure that the city’s investments will create a pathway to prosperity for our diverse workers and business owners who help build this city,” said Maya Wiley, the mayor’s legal counsel.

The contractors will still be subject to the regular bidding process, and all work must be done by union operations.

The agreement also decrees that 55 percent of all apprenticeship slots be filled with graduates of New York City public schools.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has been engaged in a debate with lawmakers over whether a new 421a program should include a prevailing wage requirement for construction workers.

Construction workers on government projects make significantly more money on average than construction workers on private projects, according to a new report. [AP via Crain’s] — Tess Hofmann