COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND CIVIL SERVICE Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, November 19, 2025 10:16 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCILMAN JIM HARRITY, CHAIR COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU
Good morning, everyone. This is a public hearing of the Committee on Labor and Civil Service regarding Bill No. 250607. I note for the record that a quorum of the Committee is present. This hearing is now called to order. Mr. Kunkel, will you please read the title of the bill 12 being considered today.
Bill No. 14 250607, an ordinance amending Chapter 17-100 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Procurement Contracts" by revising Section 18 17-101, entitled "Prequalification of Prospective Bidders for Contracts for Construction of Public Works" to establish minimum workforce training requirements and documentation standards for contractors and subcontractors on public works projects, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you, Mr. Kunkel. Will you please call the roll.
Yep. All right. This bill 17 establishes an apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship requirements for public works projects over 300,000 or more. This initiative brings significant benefits to our city by creating apprenticeship opportunities. We empower local youth and disadvantaged individuals to gain essential skills to contribute to our workforce. Trained apprentice contribute to higher quality and safer construction. This lowers the risk of accidents, ensures we meet industry standards specifically on trades for underrepresented groups, ensuring everyone has a fair chance to succeed. Additionally, this requirement aligns with our objectives of enhancing workforce development, promoting economic diversity. In sum, this bill is an investment in our city's future workforce and infrastructure. I encourage all the Committee members to support this bill. Would any of the members like to make any opening remarks? (No response.)
Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Katherine Gilmore Richardson Councilwoman.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to all the members of the Labor Committee. And I just wanted to uplift you and your team for this legislation. You know how deeply I care about apprenticeship programs and the opportunity for young people here in the city of Philadelphia and those who are wishing to reskill and upskill to have an opportunity to be a part of an apprenticeship program, and more importantly, a registered apprenticeship program. So I just want to thank you for your great work on this legislation and look forward to supporting this effort and continuing the work that we all do together with our partners in all of our unions regarding our Apprenticeship Guidebook and ensuring that we are exposing young people to opportunities available within our building trades. So thank you very, very much.
Well, listen, thank you because you were the first to get this stuff started with the Apprentice Guidebook. And as somebody who was in the trades, I know that this is a chance for kids to really come up. So I thank you. Will the Clerk please call the first -- anyone else? I'm sorry. (No response.)
You're good? Okay. My brain is going pretty quick. Will the Clerk please call the first panel of witnesses to testify.
Aparna Palantino, Director of the Capital Program office; Ron Hovey, Procurement Commissioner; and Andre Bragg, Director of the Office of Labor Standards. (Witnesses approached witness table.)
Good morning, everyone. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning, Chairperson Harrity and members of the Committee on Labor and Civil Service. My name is Aparna Palantino and I'm the Director of the Capital Program Office for the City of Philadelphia. I'm here today to testify on Bill 250607, introduced by Councilman Harrity. I'm joined by Procurement Commissioner Ron Hovey and the Director of Labor Standards Andre Bragg. This bill would amend Chapter 17-100 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Procurement Contracts" by revising Section 8 17-101, entitled "Pre-qualification of Prospective Bidders for Contracts" for construction of public works to establish minimum workforce training requirements and documentation standards for contractors and subcontractors on public works projects. First, on behalf of the Administration, we would like to thank Councilmember Harrity for working with us on the amendments we understand this committee will adopt today. This bill, as proposed to be amended, would strengthen existing measures to ensure the qualifications of the majority of the workforce on public works contracts. This bill would also require firms to be qualified and have a history of competence in the work for which they have been contracted by ensuring that at least 70% of the workforce on these projects have successfully completed or are enrolled in certified apprenticeship programs. Under the proposed amendment, this ordinance would apply to certain categories of public works contracts valued at 300,000 or more when the anticipated workforce on the project exceeds four individuals at any one time. Non-compliance with these new regulations could result in disqualification or debarment. In conclusion, we appreciate Chairperson Harrity's collaboration on amendments and respectfully request that the committee adopt them. That concludes my testimony and we are happy to answer any questions. It's just me.
Oh, beautiful. That is great. I appreciate it. First, also thank you guys, thank my staff for doing the hard work. We've been working on this for a long time. And thank you to the Mayor for supporting this. She came up with some nice amendments to make it a little bit better, which we will pass today hopefully. So I'd like to pass it on to my colleagues. Are there any questions? Councilman Phillips and then Councilman Gilmore, then Councilman Ahmad.
I just want to say thank you so much for working with Councilman Harrity on this very important bill. Councilman Harrity, great job. As we know that we in the city of Philadelphia do not move without having the support of labor. All of our work, all of the things that we've seen in the city of Philadelphia is because of labor. And it's unfortunate that I didn't know -- that's why I said thank you, Councilman -- that there are individuals who have gotten away with not bringing in individuals that are union and, most importantly, making sure that they are well-trained through apprenticeships. And this bill 17 does that. I just want to ask a quick question around how can we ensure the effectiveness of this. Often times we create bills that are the right thing to do, and then somehow we're in communication years later with the union and the union is talking about why this is not happening. We just want to make sure it's effective. So for me, how will the city ensure that there is a sufficient supply of apprenticeships available to meet the project demand once the bill 9 becomes effective? And also, is there going to be a way -- I want to ask are you planning to track the success? Will the city publicly report which projects received exemptions, analyze whether or not these exemptions impact cost, safety or project timeline? So I just want to see how we're going to be basically tracking the success of this bill as well.
So before I defer to my colleague to answer the tracking piece, I would like to mention that we would work closely with the unions and other organizations to ensure that at the onset of a project that we have mechanisms in place to be able to accomplish this appropriately. And then I can defer to Procurement Commissioner to answer the tracking. COMMISSIONER HOVEY: Sure thing. Thank you. I'm Ron Hovey, Procurement Commissioner. And thank you for inviting us and thank you, Councilmember Harrity, for including us early and adopting some of the administrative changes we requested. Because, as you know, we're working to streamline procurement and that helped us greatly in sort of piling on difficult-to-implement tracking measures. And so, to Councilmember Phillip's question with regard to tracking there is a section of the bill that talks about the reporting. So we'll be gathering data which will be available sort of in a raw form all year long, and we'll report annually back to the Council on the outcomes that we see. And that includes the issuance of waivers. And so, that acts both as a measure and a break on issuing waivers to make sure that they're used appropriately. So, yeah. I mean, it's that reporting functionality where we're not going off and doing this in secret. It's done in the open daylight and it's accessible to all of you.
Okay. That's important because when they're not -- it's important for me to know that, but also just want to make sure that the workforce documentation is there to ensure that contractors remain compliant and that we have the staffing available to make sure that we do the department, right, or they lose their opportunity to work with the City of Philadelphia if they're not in compliance. We don't want to be like wait a minute, they've been out of compliance for four years and we're just now catching up to it. So that's the part that I want to make sure you're ready on. COMMISSIONER HOVEY: And if I may, so the Mayor's CCMA -- CCME initiative is looking for ways to grow in the direction of workforce development. And so, I think that as we look at this over time if we see gaps in the availability, that may be an area where we could leverage some of the newer policies in the right direction to support this initiative, because it is one of my concerns of this bill that you're always balancing additional requirements with creating sort of the most sort of seamless, smooth, open marketplace, and that's the balance that we need to strike. And so, it becomes less of an issue if there are more than adequate resources available.
And just a point of reference, we did put in an -- once a year they have to give us a report on what is going on, who's in compliance, who's not in compliance, how many people are actually hired. That's the whole idea of checking the numbers. So I made sure. Thank you for asking that question. I thought of the same thing. We got to make sure that we have a little bit of a say in this. So once a year they will have to come report to us, right.
Are they able to verify that -- is there a system they can verify that 70% of the contractors, they have to provide a whole list?
I can speak to that. Hello. My name is Andre Bragg. I'm the Director of Labor Standards. Yes, we'll be able to verify -- we currently verify all apprentice on jobs. And we'll take a step further in assuring that getting the correct documentation and keeping track and data through our LCP tracker compliance system, so we will be able to track and have the staffing to not only track it, but have interviews and cross- reference to make sure that all the companies are in compliance. We're going to be very intentional about not putting a lot of burden on contractors because we don't want to keep putting burden on them. At the same time, we want to ensure that they are meeting these goals so it will be tracked quarterly. Each project will be tracked and documented.
I asked that question -- this is my last question -- because I know some people are very sneaky and they're not honorable. They'll literally put someone on the payroll and then they'll get the check and then they'll give it to someone else or there's so many ways to put someone's name there. So I just want to make sure that we are really careful for all those loopholes.
Councilman Phillips, you are exactly right, and that's the importance of the interviews and doing the inspections. Because realistically, what it can do is allow people not to put people on the payroll or to put a different name on the payroll. So that's the importance of us doing interviews and making sure that we interview this daily and on our projects.
Thank you, Councilman. It's Kathy, then Nina, then you. Yep, absolutely. I'm keeping track. Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson. Then Councilmember Nina Ahmad and Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. And thank you to Councilman Dr. Anthony Phillips for the questions that you offered. I had the opportunity to review the amendments that were offered as a part of the workthrough with the Administration and Councilman Harrity's office and team, and I too have the same question. Obviously, the last one was answered relative to Subsection J. But relative to Subsection I, Wherein the Procurement Commissioner shall submit an annual report to the Clerk of the Council justifying each exercise of Subsection 17- 101(8)(H) no later than December 31st of each year. I just wanted to confirm that the Procurement Commissioner and the office will be available to confirm on the record that you all will be able to submit the annual report to Council, and that you will begin not this calendar year obviously because of the timing of the passage of the legislation, but that that would begin in 2026 which would cover FY26 and then partially FY27. I was just wondering if there was a reason why you all did calendar for reporting versus fiscal? COMMISSIONER HOVEY: What was the last part. The very last sentence?
Meaning the Procurement Commissioner's annual report to Council, in the amendments that we received I was just asking for the difference of calendar year versus fiscal, just seeking to understand that that reporting process works for procurement, and then obviously that the first report would be technically December of 2026 which would cover the remainder of FY26 in the beginning or the first half of FY27? COMMISSIONER HOVEY: So in all honesty, my preference would be that the bill said not less than annually rather than a specific date. Because increasingly, I want to get to an annual report footing to Council as part of the drive to driving towards a more efficient approach. But with that one minor thing, we will be reporting on this at the required time regardless wherever the date falls. And we will get on an annual rate, annual schedule. The reason I ask for the one adjustment is because in other bills, it could give a different date. And so, we would like to get to singular annual report of compliance.
Well, that's why I was asking because of the work that we even did with the Health and Human Service portfolio around the nonprofit contracting. I know one thing that came up was ensuring that the reporting process covered the fiscal year and didn't sort of have the reporting process. I just wanted to ensure that you all will be able to meet the demand of this amendment and that you're okay with calendar year or do you want fiscal year, because that's a simple change while we're in committee? That's why I'm asking. COMMISSIONER HOVEY: My preference would be to be non-specific and to say not less than annually rather than on a particular date calendar or fiscal. But if you do pick one, I think fiscal probably works a little better for us. But, yes, we -- and as you know with the new system, the OPAL system going in, it'll be easier to report on many of these things, but right now it's a struggle to gather data manually from multiple systems which may or may not collect the data in the way Council asks. And that was actually one of the hallmarks of this process, is that Councilmember Harrity was very accommodating otherwise in the administrative changes that he made. Did I answer your question?
No, you did. And like I said, the only reason why I ask is in addition to that under Section 2 of the proposed amendment, the effective date changed to the beginning of the fiscal year, which is technically FY27. So I was just wondering, Mr. Chair, if it would be better for them to do fiscal year reporting structure versus calendar since the amendments that we all received say July 1, '26, so that way what would happen is that first report if it were due December 31st of 2026, it would only cover July 1 of '26 up until however many months in order for them to do the reporting. So I don't know whether it'd be better to do it on fiscal, because then that also to your point with the implementation of OPAL would also give you the time frame from July of '26 to do the whole year, and then technically we would get the first report June 30th of '27. COMMISSIONER HOVEY: That's the direction we're heading is to be issuing for all things compliance. Like along with the budget, we'd start giving you a compliance report.
That's what this is about, is to actually make it so we can get the information. I don't want to make it harder to actually get what I want to get which is the numbers, you know what I'm saying. So, yes, I'm fine with that. We'll make the change. When we introduce the amendment, it will be so.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, because I think that really aligns with the amendments that we received. And I know that you worked really hard and closely with the Administration. And I just want to ensure that we are able to receive the information that you have requested in a timely fashion, but also in the way that works for the new implementation of the OPAL system and all the work that I know has been happening in the background trying to get everybody on fiscal and away from calendar. Okay. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, for the accommodation.
Thank you, Chair. Good morning. Thank you for your testimony. First, I have to say I commend you on the testimony that lays out all this information that the fiscal note. Deeply appreciate how you've broken it down. It makes it so easy to look through this. So let's make sure everybody gives us this. This is another system to put into place. My question was about the apprenticeship training programs. Do we have sufficient training programs to meet the need for what we are proposing is one question and then I have a follow- up.
To answer your question, the bill is for people -- mostly verification of workers that's already been through the program as well as our unions are sufficiently supplying apprentice. So I would say, yes, that there are a sufficient amount of apprenticeships. I know that with the uptick of jobs that comes and goes, the union usually has more apprentice openings and things like that. So that would --
The reason I ask is we hope this will create a pipeline, right. And we hope we can have these opportunities in places that haven't seen them before. So that is going to take a while to do because you said these are people already trained. So breaking into that workforce is very difficult as we all know. But if we don't create that in our city, we're going to leave a whole bunch of people behind, which is where we are right now. So I just wanted to see -- I know this is for $300,000 and up, right. Even though there's no requirement for those under that, are we encouraging them to make sure they do have trained apprentices and then that would maybe create a pipeline unrelated to the bill specifically, but to say just as an effort in the city since we are doing apprenticeship training and encouraging it and requiring it in some cases, how do we take this and broaden it and make sure we have people ready and if this were ever to change to a lower number, 200,000 we would have the workforce ready to do that? So I would love to see how we can work to actually create real pipelines in communities that have never seen this, which means starting even before the training, which means starting in high schools. I know my colleague Majority Leader has worked really a lot on this issue and we would love to amplify that, because now there's a real pathway to 70% has to be -- the second question was about the waivers. Could you explain what the waivers were about or when would the waivers go into -- COMMISSIONER HOVEY: Sure. So the intent of the waivers is for work or specific projects that doesn't typically lend itself to being done by apprentice type folks.
So it would be a journeyman doing it, not an apprentice? COMMISSIONER HOVEY: Or specialized -- I'm sorry.
Point of information. So it would be the specialized field. So we have a company that does pigeon removal at the airport. That's a specialized thing. There's only one or two people to do it. So we don't have a big opportunity to choose from anyway, so all that's cut out. And then highway work, because highway we don't have an apprentice program. Our things are done by certifications, not apprentice. And actually the state law supersedes us, so we just cut them out because most of the time it's state roads they're working on. It's not our jurisdiction. COMMISSIONER HOVEY: I can give you one more example. Elevators and escalators, so typically those folks are trained specifically on certain pieces of equipment by the companies and I don't think that they have an official apprentice program, but they're certified on their equipment.
Yeah, the volume is probably not as much. You mentioned something, Commissioner, about balancing, right, regulation versus getting to make sure we have jobs in the city and construction projects. That brings the whole issue about timing, how much the company or whoever's got the job has to comply and how smooth that process is. So the complaints I get from people in the construction industry is every time you guys put another requirement for us, you don't make it easy for us to do it because then we're stuck and time is money on these things. So I just want to make sure that if we're going to put all these requirements, we're also creating a very smooth, quick, fast turnaround for them to be able to comply and to know that they had checked the boxes. So I just wanted to know how -- this is a complaint not just here, but across the board on many things the city does. And I understand there's a process and we are short-staffed sometimes. But in order for our dollars to move because the dollars move when these things come, and not only the direct but the indirect impact of these things are huge and we need revenue. So how are we going to make sure that we are not behind the ball on this? COMMISSIONER HOVEY: So I can give you a clear answer on one of the two aspects of that. So there's two aspects to this bill 16 that affects the administration of it, right. So first, there's the administrative part of it, what we require them to do and how they report it. And then the second thing is the supply of workers, and that's the harder one to address. So first, let me just talk about the easier one, the administrative side. At the beginning we moved from they must comply with this during the bidding phase, which the feedback we gave was that would be a barrier to many companies to even compete in this area because it's difficult as a contractor when you're looking at the different opportunities in front of you and you have to balance, you're going to win some portion of those, not all, so you don't know exactly who you're going to put on what project. So we asked for a self- ser -- tongue-tied here, a self- certification saying, yes, I can achieve that. I don't know exactly how they will. They will tell us the how when they start the project, right, and we will monitor their performance. So we made it more of do you have the capacity and we will track your actual performance rather than you have to tell us everything upfront. So from an administrative approach, we've lowered the barriers. Obviously, the other side is the pipeline. I don't have a quick, easy, happy answer for you. The realistic answer is that's hard, right. That's the rub of the issue. And I think that we may see a few solicitations where it doesn't go well the first few times. And we're like, oh, yeah, that work, that area, that might be the subject of we need to rebid it, right, without that requirement, but we'll have that knowledge from bidding it. But I'm hopeful that build it and they will come. I mentioned earlier CCME and I think that a discussion with the Administration perhaps about that because there was a speaker at the CCME kickoff the other day who came from another -- I forget where, it might have been, New York -- who was talking about how they have linked up with apprentice programs as part of their pipeline. So I think that there's opportunities for the city to both push supply and pull supply.
And streamline it so -- COMMISSIONER HOVEY: And my focus because that's not my bailiwick so I'm sort of speculating at that end of it, but my side is the administration of solicitations and contracts, so I'm trying to make that as seamless and smooth for our contractors as possible.
Well, thank you. I have a quick question for Labor Standards. How are you going to be involved, your department going to be involved in this whole process?
So we'll be doing the tracking. Once the job has started, we'll be tracking the numbers on the job. We collect payrolls weekly from every project, every contractor. So we'll be taking those numbers, taking that data, put it into whatever report that Mr. Hovey needs to provide him the numbers, this contract is at -- this project is at 65% or this project is at 80%, we'll be providing those numbers. So we'll be doing 100% of the tracking.
The reason I ask is in the midst of a job that started and if they're slipping on the percentage, the 70 percent, how quickly can that be addressed so there's not a disruption and suddenly in the middle of a health build project we have a problem, right? So I'm just trying to anticipate how smoothly we can -- because this is a good bill to make sure we have safety on the job. We have people trained to do what they're doing. But I'm just thinking from the perspective of the actual job site.
So definitely I think our goal will be to kind of be preemptive, to collect workforce numbers. Prior to a company's workforce numbers and data before they even get on the job, they'll kind of know where they're at so they'll know if they can reach these numbers or if their subcontractors only has 20%, they should know. We'll make sure -- we don't want to catch the contractors blind. That is not our goal. Never has been our goal. Our goal is to work with the contractor and meet these numbers. We're one city. We all have the same goal so we'll try to let them know, hey, we're at 25% of the project, you're looking at 35%, how can we work on these numbers or what can we change. And we work with them like we do on our other programs to make sure that they can reach these goals.
Thank you so much. I'm going to be quick just to thank all of you very much for your participation with us, with this bill. There's nothing more important as we're watching our trades create these great apprenticeship programs than to create the pipelines for the jobs that they need. So this is just a part of making that easier, getting more people into work, getting them into actually on-the- job training. Thank you so much. I also need to step out for a little bit. So just want to tell you I'm watching upstairs and I'll come back down. Thanks.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Thank you everyone for testifying. And, Commissioner, thank you. I'm sorry. That's right, we got one more question. But I wanted to thank you personally because my staff did nothing but rave about how pleasant you made the process and how you explained to them the procurement side of it and they said that you actually got our side of it. So I appreciate that and I appreciate the courtesy. Councilwoman Kathy Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Just wanted to get one more thing on the record relative to a commitment from the Administration relative to hiring two field inspectors and a compliance analyst, and wanted to get the timeline for the hiring process for the three positions?
So we're looking to do that immediately. When this bill is passed, I can get that information for you and get it back to you in writing, but I don't have that information.
Okay. That'll be great. Just that we have something in writing relative to the timeline for hiring the field inspectors and the compliance analysts and then when the jobs become available in the city portal, if you could just share it with our Chairman for dissemination to members of the Committee so that we could also share the information as well. And then finally, we have worked with the Office of Human Resources over some time based on additional legislation that I had introduced regarding our young people going into some of the skilled trade positions with the city. Does this impact them or no? COMMISSIONER HOVEY: (Shaking head).
No, the CTE grads? Meaning, could they be eligible for the opportunity? COMMISSIONER HOVEY: I believe so, yes.
Okay. Thank you very, very much. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Thank you all for coming in and thank you. You're also doing a fantastic job keeping people on the up-and-up. It's a big deal and we appreciate all of you and the hard work you do every day. There's a lot of us up here who started as staffers. So we know behind the scenes you guys are the ones doing the work so we appreciate you. Thank you. Mr. Kunkel, will you please call the next panel to testify.
Kylee Pickens, CAP Program; Erin O'Brien Hoffman, D.C. Director of Member 4 Engagement; Elaine McGuire, 5 Business Agent, Rosie's Girls; and 6 Jamal Coles, Business Agent, Iron 7 Workers 401. 8 (Witnesses approached 9 witness table.) 10
11 Thank you all. Good morning. 12 Thank you for coming. Will you 13 please state your name for the 14 record and proceed with your 15 testimony. 16
Good 17 morning. My name is Kylee Pickens 18 and I'm from the Construction 19 Apprentice Preparatory Program 20 better known as CAP. Thank you for 21 the opportunity to provide testimony today regarding Bill No. 23 250607, introduced by Councilmember Harrity. CAP was created by my late Uncle Walt McGill, who was a retired IBEW Local 98 electrician. Uncle Walt made it his life's mission to introduce individuals from the communities in Philadelphia to life-changing careers in construction. When I took over the program upon his passing in 2019, we became a state registered preapprenticeship program. Since 2017, CAP has enrolled over 390 participants to the program with an 83% graduation rate. More importantly, 87% of those graduates were placed, employed with a trade union and are still active apprentices and journeymen. Upon successful completion of the program, participants achieved tangible outcomes that directly enhance their career prospects, like state certification from the Department of Labor, passage of required exams for entry into registered apprenticeship programs, positive interviews with registered apprenticeship programs and entry into a registered apprenticeship program and/or sustainable employment. Our rigorous reporting system ensures that these outcomes are systematically measured and documented. We maintain regular communication with participants both during and after the program to track their progress and employment status, which is also necessary for reporting compliance with the state's apprenticeship and training office. The CAP preapprenticeship program is designed to ensure that our graduates have elevated their interpersonal time management, conflict resolution and overall discipline to work effectively for any employer. This comprehensive preparation ensures that they are not just placed, but retained and successful in their new careers. Our instructors are CAP alumni who currently work as apprentices, journeymen and even foremen within the building trades. Their direct real life experience is invaluable. They serve as mentors, providing practical advice, guidance and enhancing students' job-ready skills.
Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name and begin your testimony for the record.
Jamal Coles, Business Agent organizer with Iron Workers Local 401. Testimony on Bill No. 250607, workforce training requirements for contractors on public works. Thank you, Council President and members of Council, for allowing me to speak in support of the bill. The importance of having workforce training requirements guarantees the work will be completed by competent, certified skilled trade persons. When projects are completed by highly skilled trade persons, it diminishes exorbitant repairs. The qualified contractor won't cut corners by purchasing, then installing inferior materials. Essentially, you're getting what you're paying for. Another advantage to using skilled trade persons, they can quickly identify hazards. This skill is vital to the safety of our members and to the public. These training requirements would discourage contractors who thrive in the underground economy. They constantly engage in worker misclassification and wage theft to obtain public contracts. They not only swindle their employees, but also the municipality they're currently working in. Lastly, by implementing training requirements, it would allow the qualified contractor to invest in future workforce training, local workforce training. The common denominator is training, education and then putting the residents of Philadelphia to work. These aren't just jobs, but life- changing careers. Thank you. COUNCILMAN HARRITY:Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name and begin with your testimony. MS. McGUIRE: Good morning. Elaine McGuire, Business Rep for Local 98 and also Rosie's Girls Coordinator. Thank you, Council Chair Harrity and Councilmembers, for this opportunity to speak. My name is Elaine McGuire and I'm a proud tradeswoman and a strong supporter of registered apprenticeships and preapprenticeship programs like Rosie's Girls, a program that opens the door for more women and girls to enter into the building trades. I'm here because city- funded projects should do more than just pour concrete and hang steel. They should build careers. When you require apprentice-trained workers on public projects, you're making sure that the people who wire our schools, build our hospitals and build our housing are properly trained, tested and held to the highest safety standards. Apprenticeship isn't just learning on the job. It's thousands of hours under the supervision of experienced journeypersons, combined with classroom instruction, state- approved curriculum and rigorous safety training. That means fewer mistakes, fewer accidents and buildings that will serve this city for decades without costly repairs. Every tax dollar stretches further when the work is done right the first time by trained apprentice and skilled union labor. But there's another reason for this matter. Who gets these careers? For a long time, women were told this isn't for you, but Rosie's Girls is changing that. We introduce young women and girls to trades early. We put real tools in their hands. We show them that they belong on the job sites and we connect them to registered apprenticeship programs that will lead to family-sustaining wages, benefits and pensions. I've watched young girls who were shy on one day and stepped onto a job site in a lift and wired a circuit and suddenly see a future for themselves that they didn't know existed. When your policies prioritize apprenticeship-trained workers and support programs like Rosie's Girls, you're not just filling today's labor needs. You're building more inclusive diverse and skilled workforce for the future. So I'm asking you to keep and strengthen requirements for apprentice-trained workers on all city-funded projects and to continue support in the pipeline programs that bring women into the trades. Thank you for your time and for investing in workers like me and in the next generation of Rosie's Girls who are ready to build this city. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name and begin with your testimony.
Good morning. My name is Erin O'Brien Hoffman and I serve as the Director of Member Engagement for District Council of the 17 International Union of Painters and 18 Allied Trades. Thank you for the 19 opportunity to provide testimony 20 today in strong support of Bill No. 21 250607, introduced by Councilmember Harrity. This bill is more than a contracting requirement. It's a strategic investment in Philadelphia's workforce, economic mobility and long-term infrastructure quality. In the Philadelphia building trades, we see firsthand how high standard registered apprenticeship programs transform lives. Our members that we train through the registered apprenticeship system, one of the most rigorous and respected workforce development pipelines in the nation. I also want to highlight the essential role of preapprenticeship programs, including our own WINC, Women In Non-traditional Careers and VIP, the Vocational Internship Program. These programs create pathways for women, single parents, returning citizens and young people who may not see a clear route into family- sustaining careers. WINC and similar programs provide OSHA-10, First Aid CPR, hands-on skills, financial literacy, career coaching and direct connections to the building trades apprenticeship programs. These are not just theoretical opportunities. These are real pipelines that are changing real lives right here in Philadelphia. Bill 250607 strengthens this ecosystem by ensuring that contractors working on public projects participate in registered apprenticeship programs, pay prevailing wages and maintain strong worker safety and practices. Philadelphia deserves safe worksites, timely and reliable project delivery and a workforce trained to the highest industry standards. This bill supports these goals. It ensures that taxpayer dollars create measurable community benefit, opening doors for residents while guaranteeing the city receives quality craftsmanship. On behalf of the Building Trades and District Council and the thousands of men 8 and women that we proudly 9 represent, I urge the committee to 10 advance Bill No. 250607. Thank you 11 for your time and commitment to 12 strengthening Philadelphia's 13 workforce and future. Thank you. 14
15 Thank you all for your testimony. 16 And thank you for what you do every 17 day, promoting the preapprentice 18 and apprentice programs, giving our 19 kids a future. So I thank you for 20 that. 21 I just have a couple questions before I pass it on to my colleagues. I'm a product of the labor movement so I kind of know what's going on. I want them to be able to hear theirs. But, Erin, in your testimony you talked about career paths for single women, parents and returning citizens. Can you talk about the types of skills that your apprentice require that set them apart from other training schools?
Sure. I mean, we have the highest excellence in safety and our apprentices are coming with skill sets that set them apart from anybody that's not going through a registered apprenticeship program. It's the pinnacle of training and the difference between going home every day the same way that you came to work.
Can you tell us how as a woman the Building Trades, the opportunities you were presented has changed your life?
I could talk about that for a very long time, Councilman Harrity. I mean, yeah. It's the best choice that I ever made and it's the difference between health care, retirement benefits, access to family-sustaining wages, the difference of being a woman that doesn't need anybody else to help me because I have a career that I'm able to meet not only my needs, but the needs of all of my children as well. And it's been completely lifechanging. It's the only industry where women make equal pay to men.
There we go. All right. I'm going to pass it on to my colleagues so that we can get through this. I know we want to keep our quorum so we got to keep going. Colleague Councilwoman Kathy Gilmore Richardson -- oh, you're good?
Not a question, but just thank you. Thank you for doing what you're doing. Thank you for opening up our trades. Thank you for including people and thank you for being here saying what a difference. And to have equal pay, which is not true most other places for the same work is critical, and we need to herald that to say this is where this is happening. If you can do it, all places should be able to do it. So I just wanted to say thank you for your service.
No further questions. I thank you for your service. I thank you for being here today and taking time out of your busy schedule to come in and educate us on this topic. Mr. Kunkle -- we're going to take a short recess and we'll be right back with the rest of the hearing. (Brief recess.)
All 12 right. Mr. Kunkle, will you please 13 call the next panel to testify. 14
17 Thank you. Is anyone else here to 18 testify on Bill 250607 whose name 19 has not yet been called? 20 (No response.) 21
22 Seeing none, we will now move to 23 our public comment section. 24 Mr. Kunkel, will please call the first speaker for public comment.
Thank you for your testimony -- Mr. Kunkel, there will -- the Clerk will read the list written -- Mr. Kunkle, is there any other testimony?
For written testimony, Montgomery County Commissioners and Bucks County Commissioners.
Thank you. They have been submitted to everybody in writing? Thank you. They have been submitted in writing. Everybody will have a copy of that in your packet. This concludes the public hearing on Bill No. 250607. We will now move into our public meeting. Mr. Kunkle, will you please call the roll for the public meeting.
Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion on the amendment to Bill No. 13 250607.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I offer an amendment to Bill No. 250607. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of the committee and I move that the amendment to Bill No. 22 250607 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the amendment to Bill No. 250607 be approved. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
Hearing none, the ayes have it and the motion carries. The amendment to Bill No. 250607 is approved. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion on Bill No. 18 250607 as amended.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that Bill No. 23 250607 as amended be reported from this Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended as to permit first reading of this bill 4 at the next session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly. seconded that Bill No. 250607 as amended be reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading at the next session of Council. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The bill will be reported from committee. This concludes the business before the Committee on Labor and Civil Service. Thank you. Thank you all who are in attendance. (Committee on Labor and Civil Service concluded at 11:17 a.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. __________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL