Watchdog concerned about Antioch Council’s request for union-only hiring on new housing project
In 2001 the Antioch City Council approved a final development plan, tentative map, and Mitigated Negative Declaration for a 16 unit single family development on a 5.56 acre site located on the north side of Oakley Road, approximately 875 feet east of Willow Avenue. A use permit to develop the project, known as the Oakley Knolls Subdivision, was conditionally approved in May of 2003.
Now Discovery Builders Inc. is requesting approval to build 31 homes on the acreage, a 100% increase over the initial plan proposal, and residents of the area are understandably irate.
In August the Planning Commission provided feedback to the applicant, expressing concern in regard to the higher density and small lot sizes. Council discussed the project at their September 23rd in which they were presented a petition by Antioch resident Duane Shoemake requesting the project retain the same density and lot size of the original approval.
Following discussion Mayor Harper, recently served with a recall petition, and council requested the project include the following:
Traffic study
Project Labor Agreement (PLA), local hires and the Helmets to Hardcaps Program
Confirmation the sewer pipe can accommodate the proposed 31 units
Community Facilities District for Police Services
Owner occupied requirement for the standard duration
Some setbacks to accommodate boat or RV parking
NOTE to City Manager and Council: According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, in 2013 the union membership rate was 11.3%, the same as in 2012. PLAs, which require union only workers and require all apprentices be hired from union apprenticeship programs (Helmets to Hardcaps) are discriminatory and drive up the cost of a project. In 2002 Council voted in support of a “Resolution of the Antioch City Council in opposition to city required project labor agreements and similar city imposed requirements. I suspect the council would have to rescind that Sense of Council Resolution in order to impose a PLA on this project. As for Helmets to Hardcaps, the non-union “merit” or open shop contractors association has a similar apprenticeship program.
That fact that our UNION BACKED council voted for this should not shock anyone. Three council members take lots of money from unions. But a PLA on Seeno projects can’t mean a lot since he is a non-union shop.