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The big-ticket item on the August ballot is the mayor’s race, but voters will also be weighing in on amendments. One that’s sparking debate would require construction companies doing business with the city to hire more local workers. Supporters say the goal is to help more Nashvillians get valuable skills, though the construction industry opposes this approach.
If the amendment passes, 40 percent of “worker hours” on all big metro-funded projects would have to go to Davidson County residents — and 10 percent specifically to low-income residents.
“We know that we have people here that are willing and ready to work,” says labor advocate Ashford Hughes, who helped get the amendment on the ballot. “Let’s provide training for these individuals to obtain these jobs.”
This amendment doesn’t actually include any mention of training. But Hughes says, by setting a quota, contractors would be forced to train more workers here — something he believes isn’t happening enough.
To local contractors, however, this hiring mandate is not appealing. John Finch is the co-owner of PBG Builders and part of a coalition of organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, that oppose the amendment. He says hiring more local workers is a nice idea, but much harder in practice.
“The reality is, in the construction industry in Middle Tennessee, the vast majority of construction workers on most every job don’t live in Davidson County,” he says. “If that 40 percent rule were applied, I don’t know where we’d get them.”
Many of the training programs in the region right now are for workers who are already employed by companies, Finch says. He’d like to see more training programs for local, low-income people, but he’d prefer the government offer incentives to contractors who do so.
Early voting begins July 17.
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