The Long Beach Unified Board of Trustees unanimously voted to extend a community workforce development agreement through August 2030, committing to a reliance on local labor to complete an estimated $450 million worth of building projects.
The original agreement, made in 2020, included 15 bond-funded projects, a third of which have been completed, a third of which have recently broken ground and a third of which remain in planning and design stages, said David Miranda, assistant superintendent of facilities and operations.
In addition to those previously approved, the renewed agreement adds 10 more bond-funded projects to the list. These include a transformation of Poly High School, a professional development center and demolition of the current teacher resource center and a centrally located district administration center. Seven schools will receive modernization facelifts.
Union members attended Wednesday evening’s meeting in force to voice support for the agreement, which they said creates accountability, prioritizes local hiring and offers stability to workers.
“I don’t need to tell you about the importance of building new facilities,” said Andrew Gonzales, with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents over 160,000 men and women across 48 local unions. “But just as important as buildings is who gets to build them,” he said, addressing the board during public comment.
Miranda said that the agreement targets the “aspirational” goal of 40% local hiring, though in the last six years, the district made 28% to 29% of its hires locally. (For non-work agreement projects, the district aims for 20% local hiring.)
Employing Long Beach residents is critical to the spirit of the agreement, Miranda said. And tradesmen illustrated that point during public comment.
Jon Munoz, apprentice coordinator for a steamfitting and refrigeration union, said working close to home allows people to attend family dinners, coach soccer and help with Little League baseball. “These are some of the moments I personally missed out on” due to long commutes for work.
Furthermore, the agreement commits to training and apprenticing Long Beach students interested in trades.
“By any measure, this agreement is good for students,” Board Member Juan Benitez said. One of the hopes in passing the agreement in 2020 was to create a pipeline for LBUSD students to work for the local labor unions to improve the area’s schools, Benitez said. Through that “well-paid, benefited position,” that former student would be able to live in Long Beach, start a family and send kids through the district. “We’re not there yet,” Benitez said. “We see the indicators of it.”