Reason #2 To Vote "No On Prop. 2"
Prop 2 Discriminates Against Black and Latino Construction Workers
California Proposition 2 Discriminates Against The Majority Of Black And Latino Construction Workers.
“Government-mandated PLAs are opposed by the NBCC because almost all minority-owned contracting firms are not affiliated with unions. African American-owned contracting firms are typically small businesses and employ their own core workforce of skilled construction workers who are not unionized and are generally more diverse than construction workers coming from union hiring halls.” -Harry C. Alford, President & CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce.
“98% of Black and Hispanic construction companies are non-union shops. Thus, a Project Labor Agreement greatly limits the opportunities for Black and Hispanic firms,”
-John Harmon, Sr., IOM, Founder, President & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
“These PLAs promise ‘local hire’ and outreach to minority neighborhoods, but the unions’ promises have always been empty,” – Shane Harris, President and CEO of the People’s Alliance For Justice in San Diego.
“…The exclusion of BCA SDCCD Carpenter students from the “community benefits agreement” (PLA) for union apprenticeships only, is a knee on the neck to the only Black American apprenticeship program in America. This decision contradicts the Board’s commitment to “Equity and Inclusion” for all…” – Abdur-Rahim Hameed, President of the National Black Contractors Association
PLAs restrict participation by black and Latino construction workers because as Harry C. Alford, president of the National Black Chamber of Commerce said in an affidavit submitted in court, about 98% of black and Latino-owned construction companies are non-union.
The August 2024 Probolsky Research poll asked respondents, “State politicians included language in the school bond measure banning most Black and Latino construction workers in California from working on projects funded with the school bond because they choose not to belong to a union. Does knowing this make you more or less likely to support the school bond?” 49% are more likely to oppose after hearing that politicians included language in the school bond measure banning most Black and Latino workers because they choose not to belong to a union.
Among those who said they were more likely to oppose, 52% said they are definitely more likely to oppose.
So, because California Proposition 2 discriminates against the majority of Black and Latino construction workers, we urge you to “Vote No on Prop. 2.”