Cerritos council directs staff to negotiate community workforce agreement with building trades

The Cerritos City Council on May 22 directed the city manager and staff to enter negotiations with the Los Angeles and Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council and associated affiliates on a Community Workforce Agreement (CWA), a project-labor-style pact aimed at promoting local hiring, apprenticeship pathways and stable labor standards on public works projects.

The item drew lengthy public comment from trade union representatives and apprentices who said a CWA would bring local hiring, reduce long commutes and improve construction quality. After discussion the council gave staff direction to negotiate terms and the mayor named Mayor Pro Tem Linda Johnson and Council Member Mark Pulido to serve as the council’s representatives to the city negotiating team.

A CWA is a tailored project labor agreement that typically sets hiring goals, apprenticeship pathways and labor standards for public projects. City staff told the council they had reviewed CWAs used in neighboring cities and that the agreements usually apply to large public works projects, emphasize partnerships with union training programs and can increase administrative compliance tasks and potentially raise project costs.

Andrew Gonzales of the Orange, LA & Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council, and a string of affiliate union representatives — including Brandon Griswold of the International Union of Operating Engineers and Richard Burns of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters — urged the council to authorize negotiations. They cited apprenticeship training, medical and retirement benefits, and local-hire provisions that would allow workers to live and work close to home.

Staff said an initial timeline depends on the number of parties involved but that, with cooperation, they expected to return to council with a draft agreement or progress report within a matter of weeks. City staff highlighted two fiscal considerations: potential impacts to bid competitiveness under the Public Contracts Code and additional city compliance costs, which in some cases are administered by a third-party compliance monitor.

Council discussion emphasized local-hire goals, pathways for veterans and women, and the desire to avoid work stoppages; one council member asked staff to include a “no-strike/no-work stoppage” clause where appropriate. City Attorney staff said the city had drafted PLAs and related agreements for other jurisdictions and would support negotiations.

What the council authorized: staff to begin formal negotiations with the LA & Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council and affiliates on a CWA; the mayor appointed Mayor Pro Tem Linda Johnson and Council Member Mark Pulido as council representatives on the negotiating team; staff to return with negotiated terms for council review.

The council did not adopt a final agreement at the May 22 meeting; the motion directed staff to negotiate and report back. Council members said they expected subsequent rounds of public review and formal council consideration before any agreement would be adopted.

Ending: City staff said they would coordinate an initial meeting with union representatives and return to the council with a proposed timeline and draft terms. The mayor and council thanked union speakers for attending and noted the matter would return to the council for formal action once negotiations produced a draft.