Construction Boom Fails to Deliver Jobs to District Residents

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Despite a building boom in the District of Columbia, DC residents remain grossly underrepresented on area construction sites. Yet while recently strengthened local hiring rules could reduce the gap, much remains to be done to implement the new policy. These are among the findings of Taxation without Employment: The Case for the District’s Strong Local Hiring Rules, a study published yesterday by Good Jobs First, a non-profit, non-partisan research center based in Washington. “This study clearly indicates that the District needs local hiring requirements,” said DC Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), Chair of the Council’s Committee on Jobs and Workforce Development and an advocate for creating employment opportunities for DC residents. “We have more than 30,000 unemployed men and women in the District, including 4,500 Ward 5 residents seeking work. Based on my conversations with constituents, I believe that many are ready to pick up a shovel and get to work – they just need a chance to prove themselves.” Last year, Mayor Vincent Gray and the DC City Council strengthened the District’s local hiring rules, known as First Source. According to the report, “The evidence suggests that the enhanced First Source law could have a significant impact on unemployment rates in the city.” The report was commissioned by the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). - photo: at the June 20 DC Jobs or Else demo; photo by Jaimes Flores