Testimony to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman from Lynn Kinney Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer District Council 50, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO
February 18, 2004 Honolulu, Hawaii
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, for granting me the opportunity to testify in support of a federal government-labor partnership to expand training programs for Hawaii’s construction trades.
I am the Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer of District Council 50, of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, but I am speaking today on behalf of the members of the state’s 17 building and construction trade unions that are the backbone of residential construction in the state.
Our members are very concerned that the new construction workers needed to build more than $3 billion in military homes may go to tradespeople from out-of-state. This may happen if contractors and subcontractors are unable or unwilling to hire Hawaii construction workers of sufficient numbers and training. Given past experience, they will look to the mainland for workers who agree to move to Hawaii temporarily to work and then return to their home states after the projects are completed.
Given the duration, scope, and value of the privatization contracts awarded by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the consequences of thousands of non-resident workers taking these jobs would severely impair our standard of living and Hawaii’s economic vitality. To address this challenge, Hawaii’s trade unions have begun an aggressive, coordinated campaign to improve and expand training programs in anticipation of this expansion in new construction.
As mentioned by Brother Ron Taketa of the Hawaii Carpenters, unions and signatory contractors have invested their own trust funds in a number of new training facilities. The trade unions have enrolled hundreds of new apprentices into our ranks. And we have hundreds more who have been waitlisted for entry into our certified programs. We have worked closely with the University of Hawaii’s Community Colleges to make apprenticeship training as relevant and up-to-date as possible so graduates are competitive in the labor marketplace.
Mr. Chairman, the promise of a federal program with funding to ensure that “the repair and reconstruction of military homes are undertaken by a qualified Hawaii workforce” is very exciting and gratifying to us.
Any assistance from Washington to help train and qualify our residents for military housing projects and increase the pool of workers available to contractors would be welcomed by trade unions in Hawaii. We would like to respectfully point out, Mr. Chairman, that while many of us have already heavily invested resources in the recruitment and training of new members, we have done so with absolutely no assurance of jobs at the end of this lengthy process. Permit me to offer the Building Trade Council’s thoughts on the criteria for such a federal program that we feel would most benefit Hawaii residents seeking careers in construction; utilize the training infrastructure already in place; and enhance the fairness, quality, and efficiency such a program would offer.
We envision a separate entity to receive and consider all grant applications, with perhaps recommendations to an appropriate federal agency for disbursement. The composition of this body should be reflective of the unions, employers, military, and educators involved.
We strongly recommend that state-certified training programs with a record of graduation success and longevity in the community be the only ones qualified to apply for any grants. With time of the essence to meet projected building timetables, this proposed federal program should not be used for start-ups in need of seed money or low-output training schools with little impact on the marketplace.
The building trades departments of the state’s Community Colleges are the best source of qualified instructors, facilities, and administrators with the knowledge and experience to support expanded training curricula. The colleges have become steadfast partners with construction unions, and have been the primary source for trained new recruits for the industry. We believe the Community Colleges deserve a fair share of grants targeted to expand vocational training and workforce development initiatives for the entire construction industry.
We also propose that grants be made on a matching basis. A qualified program should be able to claim office overhead and salaries, facilities rental or upkeep, materials, and other expenses associated with its expanded curriculum as the matching share.
Awards should be granted for instructional costs only, such as teachers and classroom activities. Construction of new facilities or improvements to existing training facilities or offices should be disqualified.
The number of enrollees in a program should determine the size of that program’s grant. The more trainees, the more training funds are needed. This, coupled with incremental payments contingent on progress reports and graduation rates over the course of the grant program, will help to ensure the responsible spending of tax dollars.
Mr. Chairman, Hawaii’s trade unions are grateful that area standard wages will apply to all projects in the military’s privatized housing programs in Hawaii. Preferences for small businesses and local hiring have also been promised. Ultimately, though, we have only our own workforce development, superior training, and vigilance of our Congressional delegation to ensure that fairness and honor prevail in the marketplace.
The members of the Hawaii Building Trades Council join me in extending our gratitude to you for inviting us to testify before the subcommittee on issues of critical importance to our members. We look forward to being of any assistance in establishing a partnership between the federal government and our industry to train and employ the next generation of workers, build union-quality homes for military families, and help to bolster our island economy.
Thank you.
