Bill stipulates apprenticeship, safety training

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen will vote this month on a bill that will require the city to hire “responsible contractors” on any public-works construction or maintenance projects.

The bill would require that all employees on such projects undergo apprenticeship and safety training and are paid prevailing wages.

“This is a good bill, and we’re 100 percent supportive of it,” said Jerry Feldhaus, executive secretary-treasurer of the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO.

The bill is sponsored by Alderman Stephen Gregali (D-14^th Ward), a member of Operating Engineers Local 148.

“We want to eliminate shoddy workmanship from city projects,” Gregali said. “Taxpayers deserve quality work performed by journeymen who have been thoroughly trained in their professions and in proper safety procedures.

“Taxpayers want quality workmanship — and this bill would provide that they get it,” he said.

Gregali said he expected the bill to be passed Jan. 22 — in spite of opposition from Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. (ABC) and other nonunion organizations, who have sorry records of training their workers in quality craftsmanship or safety.

Gregali said the bill may be amended before the final vote.

The “responsible contractors” bill addresses companies bidding on any public-works projects — maintenance or construction — paid by the city or involving tax-increment financing (TIF) or other tax-abatement schemes.

The bill would require contractors to:

• Pay prevailing wages.

• Have their employees participate in apprenticeship programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.

• Have their employees complete a 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety course.

• Carry appropriate licenses and insurance.

The bill also stipulates the city cannot hire companies that have been suspended or declared ineligible from government projects for three previous years or whose licenses have been suspended or revoked.

“A lot of these requirements already are on the books” for contractors working on city projects, such as the prevailing wage and OSHA training requirements, Feldhaus said.

“But this bill tightens things up, puts it all together and adds a couple good things,” he said.

“For instance, under this bill, contractors will have to employ workers who have participated in federally-recognized apprenticeship programs,” Feldhaus said. “All building trades unions already have such apprenticeship programs.

“This is a good bill for the taxpayers and the general public,” he said. “It ensures quality workmanship, jobsite safety and adherence to various laws. It means taxpayers’ money — when spent on public projects in the city — will be well-spent.”