Item Number:      6c _attach_____
Meeting Date:   November 28, 2017

1ST READING VERSION 
1 
2                                                 RESOLUTION NO. 3736 
3 
4              A Resolution           of the Port of Seattle Commission establishing a Priority Hire
5                                        Policy Directive; and amending the Policy Directive related to
6                                        practices for construction labor for projects located on Port
7                                        property adopted by Resolution No. 3725. 
8 
9 
10            WHEREAS, the construction industry is forecasted to experience consistent growth in
11            the King County region over the next decade; and 
12 
13            WHEREAS,  numerous  studies  show  a  widening  gap  between  the  demand  for
14            construction labor and the supply of skilled trade workers in the regional labor market
15            for King County public agencies. The Regional Public Owners Group estimates there will
16            be over sixty-seven billion dollars in public construction projects by 2042 with over
17            seventy million labor hours needed to fulfill this demand for projects. It is projected that
18            between 2018 and 2023 there will be a shortage of over 4100 skilled workers. Regional
19            labor supply is forecasted to underserve demand by an average of 9 to 10 percent during
20            2018-2042; and
21 
22            WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle has some of the largest investments in infrastructure
23            projects in the region. In2017, the Port of Seattle is projected to spend approximately
24            $180 million on construction projects and estimates continual growth in future years.
25            The Port's capital investment dollars create the equivalent work hours of 10.89 jobs per
26            one million dollars spent, providing enough total hours to equal approximately 950 full
27            time jobs in Washington state in 2016; and 
28 
29            WHEREAS, most recent data for 2016 indicates that over 80 percent of the construction
30            workforce in King County are Caucasian males, while 19 percent are women and people
31            of color. Representation of women and people of color is higher among new entrants to
32            the labor force through Apprenticeships and accredited certificates of completion, such as
33            those received for completing a Pre-Apprenticeship program. However, according to the
34            analysis, women and people of color also have lower rates of Apprenticeship completion
35            than do their Caucasian male counterparts; and 
36 
37            WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle is committed to ensuring equity in the construction projects
38            workforce where disparities exist between underrepresented workers' availability to work
39            and their opportunity to be hired and establish a career in the construction trades; and 
40 

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41            WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle is a leader in workforce development and has found
42            construction  job  training  programs,  including  Apprentice  and  Pre-Apprenticeship
43            programs, to be an effective way to prepare individuals for entry into construction jobs,
44            and to ensure women, people of color, and otherwise disadvantaged individuals, can
45            acquire the necessary job skills and be prepared to successfully pursue construction
46            careers; and 
47 
48            WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle was the first to adopt Apprenticeship Utilization Goals
49            over three decades ago and is committed to achieving its Apprenticeship hiring goals set
50            in Port policy and addressing the disproportionately low involvement by people of color
51            and women in the construction labor force.  Apprentice Utilization Goals for Port
52            construction projects is 15 percent, of which includes a goal of 10 percent women and
53            15 percent people of color. In 2016, Apprenticeship Utilization rates were 17 percent, of
54            which 18 percent were women and 28 percent were people of color; and 
55 
56            WHEREAS, on October 25, 2016, the Port of Seattle adopted Resolution No. 3725 that
57            established the Port of Seattle Construction Labor Policy Directive that states that the
58            Port shall establish appropriate apprentice and locality hiring goals and appropriate
59            aspirational women and minority apprentice hiring goals; and 
60 
61            WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle supports the City of Seattle and King County findings that
62            King  County  has  geographic  areas  of  economic  distress  as  evidenced  by  poverty
63            indicators; including poverty levels, concentrated unemployment, and gaps in educational
64            attainment. The Port of Seattle seeks to act effectively and expeditiously to encourage
65            solutions toward economic growth and job creation in areas of the County that are
66            economically  distressed  as  evidenced  by  comparatively  high  levels  of  poverty,
67            unemployment rates and education attainment; and 
68 
69            WHEREAS, Priority Hire enhances community partnerships focused on inclusion and
70            access  to  opportunities  and  services;  expands  opportunities  for  disadvantaged
71            populations to advance equity and social justice; and ensures that Port construction
72            projects  are  planned  and  implemented  in  a  way  that  improves  equity  in  local
73            communities; and 
74 
75            WHEREAS, the Port believes that establishing a Priority Hire policy ensures better access
76            to training programs and well-paying construction jobs for local workers, particularly
77            those from Economically Distressed Areas, as well as increases the diversity of the
78            workforce on Port construction projects; and 
79 

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80            WHEREAS, in 2017, the Port of Seattle convened community stakeholder meetings and
81            received input from contractors, labor union representatives, community advocates,
82            small contracting and supplier businesses, training providers, City of Seattle and King
83            County policy experts about the challenges and opportunities of a Priority Hire program.
84            The Port of Seattle intends to use the information received from these meetings as a
85            guide for implementing the priority hire program and developing a regional agreement
86            for use on public works projects; and 
87 
88            WHEREAS, Priority Hire focuses on workforce participation by Apprentices and journey-
89            level construction workers and is therefore directly connected to the Port's existing
90            Apprenticeship program; and 
91 
92            WHEREAS, the Port is committed to creating an acceptable worksite on public works
93            projects  that  is  inclusive  and  focuses  on  anti-discrimination  and  anti-harassment
94            behaviors and procedures; and 
95 
96            WHEREAS, over the last two years, the Port of Seattle has participated as  member of
97            the Regional Public Owners Group with the City of Seattle, King County, Sound Transit,
98            the City of Tacoma and the Washington State Department of Transportation, focused on
99            public agencies working together as regional partners; and 
100 
101            WHEREAS, the purpose of the Regional Public Owners Group is to better understand the
102            workforce demand-supply gap for regional public infrastructure projects; enhance
103            access opportunities and increase the diversity of Pre-Apprentices, Apprentices and
104            journey-level workers entering into the trades workforce; support retention programs
105            for current trades workers, especially women and people of color; and improve
106            performance data and systems of reporting for monitoring regional goals and initiatives;
107            and 
108 
109            NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Port Commission of the Port of Seattle as
110    follows: 
111 
112    SECTION 1. Resolution No. 3725 is amended as follows: 
113 
114            A. In Section 1.D. strike "and locality" and in Section 1 insert new language: "E. For
115    contracts under a PLA with projected construction labor costs at or above $5 million, the Port
116    shall establish Priority Hire goals." 
117 


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118          B. In Section II.C.2. strike "locality hiring and" and in Section II insert new language: "D. For
119    contracts under a PLA with projected construction labor costs at or above $5 million, the Port
120    shall establish Priority Hire goals." 
121 
122          C. In Section III.B.2. strike "locality hiring and"and Section III.B. insert new language: "3.
123    For contracts under a PLA with projected construction labor costs at or above $5 million, the
124    Port shall establish Priority Hire goals." 
125 
126    SECTION 2. Establish the Priority Hire Policy Directive as shown in Exhibit A. 
127 
128 
129            ADOPTED by the Port Commission of the Port of Seattle at a duly noticed meeting
130    thereof, held this _____ day of _________, 2017, and duly authenticated in open session by the
131    signatures of the Commisisoners voting in favor thereof and the seal of the Commission 
132 
133 
134                                                  _______________________ 
135 _______________________ 
136 _______________________ 
137 _______________________ 
138 _______________________ 
139                                                                Port Commission 








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140                                               EXHIBIT A 
141    SECTION 1.1 Purpose 
142 
143    To provide good family wage jobs to qualified construction workers from Economically Distressed
144    Areas of King County by increasing access to Port of Seattle Covered Projects. This leads to
145    economic growth and job creation in areas of King County that are experiencing economic
146    distress. In addition, it will provide jobs to those historically underrepresented in the construction
147    industry, such as women and people of color. 
148 
149    To develop a Priority Hire program implemented through a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) and to
150    foster closer cooperation with the Regional Public Owners Group to ensure uniform application of
151    Priority Hire terms and Contractor and Union compliance with Priority Hire requirements.  This
152    supports the Port of Seattle's continued efforts on workforce development. 
153 
154    SECTION 1.2 Definitions 
155 
156    When used in this Policy Directive, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings
157    given below unless the context in which they are included clearly indicates otherwise: 
158 
159    "Apprentice" meansa person who has signed a written apprenticeship agreement with and
160    enrolled  in  an  active  state-registered  apprenticeship  training  program  approved  by  the
161    Washington state Apprenticeship and Training Council. 
162 
163    "City" means City of Seattle. 
164 
165    "Construction labor costs" means the labor cost component of the estimated construction budget
166    for the project to be paid to contractors at the time of bid or, if absent a bid, at the time of the
167    contract award. 
168 
169    "Contractor" means any person, firm, partnership, owner operator,limited liability company,
170    corporation, joint venture, proprietorship, trust, association or other legal entity that employs
171    individuals to perform work on covered projects, including general contractors, subcontractors of
172    all tiers, and both union and non-union entities. 
173 
174    "Core Employee" means an employee of an open-shop contractor that meets the core employee
175    criteria established under a PLA. 
176 
177    "CoveredProject" means a Port of Seattle construction project under a PLA with construction
178    labor costs at or above $5 million. 
179 

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180    "Dispatch"means the process by which a union refers workers for employment to contractors
181    under the authority of a collective bargaining agreement. The process typically mandates the
182    distribution of work via a "first in, first out" priority but can be legally adjusted via special
183    agreements to allow for out of order dispatching and priority worker hiring. 
184 
185    "Economically Distressed Area" means a geographic area defined by zip code in King County and
186    found to have high population concentrations: 1) Living at or below 200 percent of the federal
187    poverty level, 2) Unemployed, 3) Those over 25 years of age without a college degree, compared
188    to other zip codes. King County zip codes with a high density per acre of at least two out of the
189    three criteria will be identified as Economically Distressed Areas. These zip codes are updated and
190    published by King County's Finance and Business Operations Division. 
191 
192    "Jobs Coordinator" means eitherone of the following: a Port of Seattle employee, an employee
193    that is considered a shared resource between government agencies, or a third party entity that
194    facilitates the hiring of Priority Workers in collaboration with Contractors and Union Dispatch. 
195 
196    "Journey-level" means an individual who has sufficientskills and knowledge of an occupation,
197    either through a formal apprentice training program or through practical on-the-job work
198    experience, to be recognized by a state or federal registration agency and/or an industry as being
199    qualified to perform the work of the occupation. Practical experience must be equal to or greater
200    than the term of apprenticeship. 
201 
202    "Labor hours" means hours performedon covered projects by workers who are subject to
203    prevailing wages. 
204 
205    "Open-shop contractor" means a contractor that is not a signatory to a collective bargaining
206    agreement with a union representing the trade(s) of the contractor's workers, also known as non-
207    union contractors. 
208 
209    "Pre-apprentice" means a student enrolled in a constructionpre-apprentice training program
210    recognized by the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council. 
211 
212    "Priority Hire Program" means aprogram on Port of Seattle major construction contracts that
213    focuses on recruitment, training and employment of workers who reside in Economically
214    Distressed Areas as defined by King County. 
215 
216    "PriorityWorker(s)" means an individual prioritized for recruitment, training, and employment
217    opportunities because the individual is a resident in an Economically Distressed Area. 
218 

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219    "ProjectLabor Agreement" means an agreement authorized under the National Labor Relations
220    Act (NRLA), 29 U.S.C., which provides a means for aligning interests of public owners such as the
221    Port with those of construction labor unions. 
222 
223    "RegionalPublic Owners Group" means the group including the City of Seattle, King County,
224    Sound Transit, the City of Tacoma and the Washington state Department of Transportation,
225    focused on public agencies working together as regional partners to better understand the
226    workforce demand-supply gap for regional public infrastructure projects; to enhance access
227    opportunities and to increase the diversity of pre-apprentices, apprentices and journey-level
228    workers entering into the trades workforce; to support retention programs for current trades
229    workers, especially women and people of color; and to improve performance data and systems of
230    reporting for monitoring regional goals and initiatives. 
231 
232    "Union"means a representative labor organization whose members collectively bargain with
233    employers to set the wages and working conditions in their respective trade or covered scope of
234    work. 
235 
236    SECTION 1.3 Scope and Applicability 
237 
238            A. This Policy Directive pertains to Covered Project(s) for the remainder of this Policy
239    Directive. 
240 
241    SECTION 1.4 Responsibilities 
242 
243            A. The Executive Director (1) will assign a designee (referred to as "Designee" for the
244    remainder of the Policy Directive) and subsequent designated office to implement and administer
245    this Policy Directive, and (2) may, through the Designee, develop and adopt rules consistent with
246    the requirements of this Policy Directive. 
247 
248            B. The Designee, with the Executive Director's written concurrence, may reduce or waive
249    requirements or goals of this Policy Directive when impractical for a Covered Project for one or
250    more of the following reasons: when work is required due to an emergency, when work is subject
251    to limitations of a sole source, when requirements or goals would be inconsistent with an
252    agreement with a public agency, when requirements or goals are inconsistent with federal
253    funding or other funding sources, when the project is in a remote location, when superseded by
254    safety or other legal requirements, when other conditions arise such as the goals become
255    impractical, or absent an executed PLA. 
256 
257            C. The Designee shall enforce the requirements in this Policy Directive and may use
258    actions as deemed appropriate.

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259            D. In lieu of establishing a priority hire advisory committee to operate in an advisory role
260    to the Port of Seattle for implementation  and effectiveness of this Policy Directive, the
261    Designee shall participate in the previously established Regional Public Owners Group and may,
262    under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with one or more other government entities
263    with Priority Hire programs, establish and participate in a regional priority hire advisory
264    committee. 
265 
266    SECTION 1.5 Policy 
267 
268            A. For Covered Projects that are not found impractical under Section 2.4 B, the Designee
269    shall establish in the bid documents the: (1) required percentage of labor hours to be performed
270    by Priority Workers, and (2) aspirational goal percentage of labor hours to be performed by
271    Priority Workers. Contractors and Dispatch under a PLA shall seek to first hire and dispatch
272    Priority Workers so as to meet or exceed the required and aspirational goal percentages. 
273 
274    The Designee shall establish the percentages separately for apprentices and for journey-level
275    workers. 
276 
277            B. For each Covered Project, the Designee shall establish the greatest practicable required
278    percentage of labor hours to be performed by Priority Workers by using past utilization
279    percentages on similar construction projects from the most recent project previous calendar
280    year, and shall establish the percentage for the following year based on past performance. The
281    Designee shall adjust these required percentages annually.
282 
283            C. In order to achieve the intended impact in Economically Distressed Areas, the Designee 
284    shall set project-specific requirements and an aspirational goal percentage of no less than 20
285    percent for all labor hours performed annually by Priority Workers on the total of Covered
286    Projects for the year. Annual percentage rates will be measured January 1  December 31 of each
287    applicable year. 
288 
289            D. In order to meet the percentage of labor hours to be performed by Priority Workers,
290    the Designee shall require Contractors and Dispatch under a PLA to seek to employ a Priority
291    Worker who is a resident of an Economically Distressed Area in King County, and then workers
292    from any other Economically Distressed Areas as needed to meet the percentage labor hours to
293    be performed by Priority Workers. The specific process by which Contractors, Dispatch and the
294    Port of Seattle Job Coordinator(s) will collaborate in order to facilitate the hiring of Priority
295    Workers shall be established by the Designee. 
296 
297 

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298            E. For Covered Projects, the Designee shall ensure the availability of a Jobs Coordinator(s) 
299    to perform the following functions: maintain a database of pre-qualified Priority Workers for
300    referral to work on a Covered Project; network with various work source centers, community,
301    non-profit and faith-based organizations to facilitate the identification of priority workers; and
302    facilitate referral and coordination around training and employment of Priority Workers between
303    Contractors, Unions and training programs. In addition, the Designee shall explore development
304    of a third party to manage regional Priority Hire efforts. 
305 
306            F. Per Resolution 3725, as amended, contracts $1 million in value or greater requires
307    Apprenticeship Utilization goals. The goal is no less than 15 percent of all contract labor hours
308    are to be performed by Apprentices. 
309 
310          i.    For individual projects, the Designee will determine the Apprenticeship Utilization
311               goal and may consider such factors as project size, project duration, labor hours
312               anticipated for the project, skills required, the likely crafts required for the project,
313               historic utilization rates and Apprentice availability. 
314 
315          ii.    The Designee shall establish aspirational percentage goals for Apprentices who are
316               women and people of color using similar factors. Contractors may be allowed to
317               offer utilization below the aspirational percentage goals by substituting other efforts
318               to meet the intent of building a trained construction workforce for a portion of the
319               utilization percentages for women and people of color. 
320 
321            G. When determining whether the percentage of priority hiring requirements has been
322    achieved, the Designee shall exclude from the calculation labor hours performed by residents of
323    states other than the state of Washington. The Designee shall track labor hours performed by
324    residents of states other than the state of Washington and shall review this percentage
325    annually with the previously established Regional Public Owners Group and any future regional
326    priority hire advisory committee that may be established under a MOU with one or more other
327    government entities with Priority Hire programs. 
328 
329            H.    Per Resolution 3725, as amended, the Designee shall support the inclusion of
330    Priority Hire provisions in the PLA standard language to be approved by the Commission
331    Projects and Procurement Committee. In furthering Resolution 3725, as amended, Port staff
332    will seek a MOU  with regional partners to develop a framework to achieve operational
333    efficiencies through uniform Priority Hire requirements and by sharing priority hire resources
334    and data and advancing workforce development efforts. 
335 
336            I. The Port shall explore ways priority hire can be implemented on Port construction
337    projects outside a Covered Project, where applicable. 

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338    SECTION 1.6 Program Evaluation 
339 
340            A. The Designee shall establish benchmarks and metrics to evaluate the program, such as
341    project costs; completion times, workplace safety; utilization rates and graduation rates of
342    Priority Workers, women and people of color from pre-apprentice and apprentice training
343    programs; and changes in the percentage of dollars paid to Women and Minority Business
344    Enterprises (WMBE) contractors working on Covered Projects. 
345 
346            B. The Designee shall report findings to the Commission and Executive Director annually.
347    In order to facilitate the timely delivery of information for reporting to the Commission and to
348    better serve the public, it is in the interest of the Port of Seattle to prepare a single annual report
349    each year by April 30 titled Apprenticeship and Priority Hire Annual Report. 
350    The report shall include, but not be limited to the following: 
351 
352          i.    The number and kinds of construction projects and contracts on which Apprenticeship
353               and priority hire requirements were established; 
354          ii.    The percentage of labor hours actually worked by Apprentices and Priority Workers on
355               each such project and the total number of labor hours on each project; 
356         iii.    The number of Apprentices and Priority Workers by contractor broken down by trade
357               and craft category, the wages paid by category of work or trade, the number and
358               percentage of women and people of color utilized as Apprentices and Priority Workers
359               and the degree of compliance with the percentage requirements and aspirational
360               goals to be established under this Policy Directive; 
361         iv.    The number of Apprentices and Priority Workers per Port dollar spent on the
362               program; 
363          v.    A description of problems encountered in the implementation of the program; 
364         vi.    A description of barriers encountered by participating Apprentices and Priority
365               Workers and steps taken to resolve those problems and to ensure their continued
366               participation in the program; 
367 
368            C. The Commission, Executive Director, and Designee will review program results annually
369    to determine if the program should be expanded or amended by increasing or decreasing
370    requirements and aspirational goals. 
371 
372    SECTION 1.7 Fiscal Implications 
373 
374    This Policy Directive has fiscal implications as funding and staffing requirements will be needed
375    for the implementation of the Priority Hire program. 
376 

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377    A Full-Time Employee (FTE) for Priority Hire in Capital Development has been included in the
378    proposed 2018 Budget. 
379 
380    Attachment A: New Budget Request Form must be submitted on an annual basis  should
381    additional resources be required.
382 
383    SECTION 1.8 Research Findings 
384 
385    Based  on  studies  commissioned  by  the  City  of  Seattle  and  King  County  and  their
386    implementation  of  priority  hire  programs,  and  numerous  public  discussions,  the  Port
387    Commission finds that it is in the Port's and the public's best interest to increase the supply of
388    qualified  construction  workers,  particularly  those  historically  underrepresented  in  the
389    construction industry, including those who live in Economically Distressed Areas in King County 
390    and also within that group, women and people of color. 
391 
392    Attachment B: Research findings of fact and declarations of intent 
393 
394    SECTION 2 
395 
396    This Policy Directive shall be labeled and codified as appropriate, together with subsequent Policy
397    Directives, and shall be made readily available for use by Port staff and members of the public as
398    a government document of the Port of Seattle. 









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399                                            ATTACHMENT A 
400 
401 
402    2018 Budget Request Summary 
Dept:   Engineering 
Org:   1630 
403 
Amount  # of One-Time Priority  Amount
Item           Short Description          Requested FTE's  (Y/N)  (H/M/L) Approved
1  CLG Priority Hire - 1630                    $95,780  1.0     N       H





Total                    $95,780  1.0                     $ - 
404 
405 
406 







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407                              2018 Budget/Initiative Request Form 
Please double click data table for input
Summary Information
Division           Corporate                                Requesting Amount            $95,780
Department Name          Engineering                                      Onetime              No
Requesting Manager           Tina Soike                                 Priority (H/M/L)               H
Org           1630                                   Subclass         1630/1690
Request Title
Short Description
Non-FTE/Payroll Requests
Amount Requested                                Subclass Allocation
Account              2018          2019      2020 & Beyond                    % Subclass

Total              $0            $0              $0                  0.0%
FTE Requests
Position Title                                                    EOY Annual Salary
Start Date            4/1/2018                                      % to Capital   50% to overhead class 1630
Bargaining Unit              NUN                                        Salary/Wage             95780
Grade Level               25                                      Number of FTEs               1.0
FTE Related Expenses            2018                                                        Subclass Allocation
Salary/ Wages* (5XXXX)          $67,692                                                 1630             50.0%
Benefits (5XXXX)          $28,088                                                 1690             50.0%
Computer (61760)
Training (65600)
Membership (65700)
Telephone (66500)                                                                Total            100.0%
Other                                                  * Salary is based on mid-point of grade level.
Total  $ 95,780 
408 
409 
410 







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411    Budget Request Justification Write-up 
412 
413        1)  Request Description/Background - Provide Full Description and or Background. 
414 
415 
416 
417 
418        2)  Justification - Why is this request needed? Include any regulations or other references
419            and benefits to the Port. 
420 
421 
422 
423 
424        3)  Alternatives - What would the impact be of not approving this request? How could it be
425            done differently? 
426 
427 
428 










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429    ATTACHMENT B 
430 
431    The Commission makes the following research findings of fact and declarations of intent: 
432 
433            A. In January 2015, following the positive results of a pilot program on the Elliott Bay
434    Seawall project, the City of Seattle adopted Ordinance No. 124690, an Ordinance relating to 
435    establishing a Priority Hire policy to ensure better access to training programs and well-paying
436    construction jobs for local workers, as well as to increase the diversity of the workforce on City
437    projects. 
438 
439            B. The City implemented the Priority Hire Ordinance through a Community Workforce
440    Agreement (CWA) between the City and the building trade labor unions, and that agreement
441    requires that prime contractors on City public works construction projects of $5 million or
442    more, must ensure that a certain percent of project labor hours are performed by workers
443    living in Economically Distressed Areas of Seattle and King County. 
444 
445            C. In May 2016, the King County Executive directed county agencies to implement a
446    priority hire pilot program that prioritized economically disadvantaged local workers for
447    inclusion on large King County capital construction projects. King County is considering a
448    permanent Priority Hire program implemented through a CWA; and 
449 
450            D. Based on studies commissioned by the City of Seattle and King County and their
451    implementation  of  Priority  Hire  programs,  and  numerous  public  discussions,  the  Port
452    Commission finds that it is in the Port's and the public's best interest to increase the supply of
453    qualified  construction  workers,  particularly  those  historically  underrepresented  in  the
454    construction industry, including women, racial minorities, and those who live in Economically
455    Distressed Areas of Seattle and King County. 
456 
457            E. King County completed a study in January 2016 documenting a widening gap between
458    the demand for construction labor and the supply of skilled trade workers in the regional labor
459    market for King County and other public entities. The gap reinforces the urgent need for
460    developing a strategy to address the current and projected workforce shortages. The study also
461    used economic data involving poverty levels, employment and educational attainment to
462    determine Economically Distressed Areas, which are identified by zip code. 
463 
464            F. King County completed The Construction Workforce Analysis in December 2016 and
465    found that the county may reasonably anticipate a reduced surplus of qualified labor and possible
466    labor shortages in certain construction trades by 2020. That is the result of a projected shortfall
467    forecast between demand and supply of four thousand six hundred thirty workers by 2020. The
468    county is concerned that these labor shortages will increase reliance on out-of-state construction

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469    workers and that the demand for new construction workers may increase construction costs on
470    the county's public works projects unless the county supports efforts to increase the supply of
471    trained apprentices and journey level workers for local public works projects. 
472 
473            The analysis also found that 81 percent of the construction workforce in King County in
474    2016 were white males, while 19 percent were people of color and women. Representation of
475    women and people of color is higher among new entrants to the labor force through
476    Apprenticeships and accredited certificates of completion, such as those received for completing
477    a Pre-Apprenticeship program. However, according to the analysis, women and people of color
478    also have lower rates of Apprenticeship completion than do their white male counterparts. 
479 
480            G.  The  City  of  Seattle  commissioned  the  Construction  Industry  Labor  Market
481    Assessment, which found that women, irrespective of race, are underrepresented in the
482    construction industry. Between 2009 and 2013, 10 percent fewer women finished their
483    apprentice training program than males. The assessment also found that between 2009 and
484    2013, 14 percent fewer racial minority apprentices finished their apprentice training program
485    than white apprentices. In addition, it also found that underrepresented workers face barriers
486    to completing apprentice training. Between 2009 and 2013, 65 percent of the racial minorities
487    exiting Apprenticeships did not complete the programs compared to 51 percent of the white
488    apprentices who failed to complete the program. During that same time period, 65 percent of
489    all women, irrespective of race, failed to complete their programs compared to 55 percent of all
490    men. 
491 
492            H. The City of Seattle has found that Priority Hire effectively and successfully increases
493    diversity on City construction projects. The share of labor hours between November 2013 and
494    April 2017 saw an increase of 233 percent in rate of hours performed by workers living in
495    Seattle's economically distressed zones. In addition, it saw an over 300 percent increase in rate of
496    hours performed by apprentice women and 200 percent increase in rate of hours performed by
497    African Americans. 
498 
499            I. A PLA with targeted priority hiring requirements is an effective tool to manage public
500    works projects that reduces the risk of project delays, reduces labor disruptions and labor
501    shortages, and improves job-site safety. In addition, it is also an effective tool to create local jobs,
502    enhance workforce diversity and improve overall working conditions. 



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