Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Hire Citibuild topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Union members tell Planning Commission developers aren’t hiring San Franciscans; commission says many pledges are voluntary
Summary
Workers and union representatives told the Planning Commission they are not getting promised local hires on city-related projects and urged enforcement; the commission and city attorney said voluntary pledges to use union labor cannot generally be enforced by the Planning Commission and requested follow-up from the mayoral workforce office and staff.
Union members, carpenters and community members used the commission’s public-comment period on Jan. 8 to press a long-standing grievance: that developers who publicly promised to hire union or local labor on projects subsequently failed to deliver jobs to San Francisco residents.
Jim Salinas Sr., identified in testimony as a Local 22 affiliate, said project sponsors have made oral commitments to use union contractors and hire locally but then employed out‑of‑town workers. Salinas told the commission, "We desperately need to put San Franciscans to work, commissioners," and asked the commission to press for community benefits and accountability for promises made during hearings.
Several construction workers echoed the claim. Louise Williams, a 10‑year journeywoman carpenter from the Mission District, described repeated attempts to get work through CityBuild and community-based organizations and said she rarely gets hired for local projects. Miguel Gomez, a journeyman carpenter who said he has been out of work for 14 months, and other carpenters described the same pattern on projects in the neighborhood.
Commissioners and staff agreed the concerns merit follow‑up but repeatedly noted limits to the Planning Commission’s enforcement authority. Deputy City Attorney Marlena Burn explained that a project sponsor’s voluntary promise to use union labor is not a condition the commission can enforce as a government agency, though other mechanisms — such as First Source agreements in redevelopment projects or legally binding conditions in particular contexts — can create enforceable obligations.
Commissioner Bill Lee asked the chair to send a letter to the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development asking that office to review the testimony and reported problems; Lee also requested that staff report back to the commission. Deputy City Attorney Burn said her office would coordinate with staff to determine whether and how the city can respond at this stage.
Outcome and next steps: Commissioners asked staff to seek information about First Source compliance and to invite the mayoral workforce office to brief the commission on enforcement and monitoring. The commission did not adopt any new regulatory authority at the hearing; staff and the city attorney offered to explore appropriate administrative follow-up and to report back.
