Is there more Plainfield could be doing about local labor on development projects?

South Avenue's Gateway project is one on which
the subject of local labor came up.

Monday's post on the development of the former Muhlenberg Hospital property led to an interesting and useful conversation on the Buzz in Plainfield Facebook page. (See the Facebook post and thread here.)

Readers Norman Deen Muhammad and Andre Kelly both faulted the city for a lack of local labor on the Muhlenberg project.

This has been a lament for the 35+ years I've lived in Plainfield.

The list of projects on which the topic has been raised is a long one, including --

• Rebuilding South Avenue 20 years ago;
• Spending a sizeable Federal grant on the Teppers basement as the grant was about to expire;
• The Monarch/Senior Center project;
• The ABC warehouse on South Second Street;
• And the proposed apartments next to it on South Second and Grant;
• The current South Avenue housing project and the one before it below Netherwood Station;
• And the current Muhlenberg project

-- to name just a few out of many. (I am leaving out the Park-Madison project as that was controlled by the Union County Improvement Authority.)

A CONSTRUCTION WORKER'S LIFE

While I worked in factories as a young man, I never worked in construction, but I had a cousin who did for his entire working life.

Though the pay was pretty good, the work was hard and sometimes dangerous, the hours long and the commute often lengthy.

Often he would have to get up in the middle of the night to arrive at a work site 70 or more miles away at daybreak. And he hardly ever got home until after dark -- in the summer months this could mean 9 o'clock or later.

Not only that, there was always the specter of finishing one job and not having another one lined up.

Then there were the Buffalo-area winters to contend with. It would be so cold and snowy that work would cease altogether for four months or more.

Paying the rent and feeding his wife and three kids on Unemployment during the lean months meant pinching every penny.

In the end, he died physically exhausted in his 50s, pretty much broke, without health benefits, a pension or anything to leave his wife and kids.

Such a life I wouldn't recommend for anyone who can possibly escape it.

That is why it is so encouraging to see Mayor Mapp prodding the City of Plainfield to invest in the current Cisco training program -- which opens a pathway to a career with a 6-figure income with benefits and job stability for those who complete the training.

But I also realize that is not possible for everyone.

WHAT TO DO?

The problem, it seems to me, is not the lack of wanting good opportunities for Plainfield residents.

Both the Administration and the Council are eager to ensure local employment on construction projects.

And developers know the question will come up at some point and are mostly willing to promise a good-faith effort.

Then all sides feel satisfied they have done their duty and go home pleased with themselves.

The problem is the deal is more often honored in the breach than seriously observed, and "good faith" is really just not good enough.

So, what can be done?

The conversation on Facebook led to the thought that maybe what Plainfield really needs is a Compliance Officer.

Such a job would be a total waste if it were to be awarded to a crony or someone not trained to appreciate developer's wiles and know how to get results, and if the employee were led to believe it was necessary to "go easy" on any particular developer.

And of course, this world being what it is, there would need to be a stick as well as a carrot.

That would mean crafting an ordinance with real consequences for any slackers.

Is Plainfield up to the challenge?

---

 -- Dan Damon [ follow ]

View today's CLIPS  here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.


About Cookies: This blog is operated by Google, which uses cookies to improve the user's experience. By continuing to read this blog you agree to their use.

---