Boston – Mayor Thomas M. Menino was joined by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, Boston Housing Authority (BHA) Administrator Bill McGonagle, Ameresco President and CEO George Sakellaris, and Boston Building Trades Council President Martin Walsh to unveil a groundbreaking project labor agreement for the $63 million energy efficiency project at BHA facilities across the city.
The Project Labor Agreement (PLA) between Ameresco, the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District (MBBTC), and the BHA, is the first public housing PLA of its kind since President Obama signed an executive order encouraging the use of PLAs in connection with large-scale construction projects.
“Boston’s Project Labor Agreement will create hundreds of jobs for local union workers, public housing residents and small and minority owned businesses, which is exactly why the Obama Administration is actively supporting these agreements across the country as a key step to winning the future,” Secretary Donovan said.
In addition, the agreement creates a pre-apprenticeship program – funded in part by a $60,000 contribution from Ameresco and a $35,000 contribution from the Mayor’s Office of Jobs and Community Services – that will be open to BHA public housing and Section 8 residents, YouthBuild eligible participants, and very low-income Boston residents. Graduates who successfully complete the pre-apprenticeship training will be given direct entry slots into apprenticeship opportunities through the Building and Construction Trades Council.
The Construction Institute will be the program manager on the pre-apprenticeship program.
