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Stockton council extends community workforce training agreement after heated public comments
Summary
After extensive public comment from union representatives and contractors, Stockton City Council voted to extend the Community Workforce Training Agreement (CWTA) despite objections from trade-association groups and calls for further data; approval passed 6-1.
Stockton's City Council voted Aug. 20 to extend the Community Workforce Training Agreement (CWTA), a labor-related local-hire arrangement, following hours of public comment that revealed starkly different views among unions, contractor groups and community members.
Union and building-trades leaders urged renewal, saying the CWTA keeps jobs local and creates apprenticeship pathways. Raul Hernandez, president of the San Joaquin County Building Trades Council, said the agreement has kept work local and trained apprentices who can build projects in Stockton. Multiple speakers representing trades testified that the program produced measurable local-hire and apprenticeship outcomes.
Contractors and trade-association representatives, however, urged the council to pause the consent vote and called the CWTA discriminatory to nonunion contractors. Eric Christen of the Coalition for Fair Employment and Construction argued staff provided no recent staff report or data to justify an automatic renewal, saying, —You have no staff report whatsoever.— Faye Giacini of ABC NorCal asked for amendments to reduce what she called discriminatory provisions.
Several council members acknowledged the program's local benefits but voiced concerns about process and transparency. Mayor Lincoln and others said staff had engaged trade partners but that additional due diligence would be appropriate for future renewals. Council ultimately approved the extension on a roll call vote recorded as 6-1, with Mayor Lincoln joining the dissent.
Staff noted the CWTA has been in place for nine years and that proponents contend it supports local apprenticeship and keeps tax dollars in the region. Opponents asked for higher thresholds, clearer audit data and broader contractor participation.
Council members urged follow-up work to address the process and to consider data collection and improvements to ensure transparency and equitable contractor access.
