Garden Grove council receives mixed public comment as it renews community workforce agreement

Garden Grove’s City Council heard competing public comment Dec. 9 over a successor community workforce agreement before approving consent items that included workforce provisions.

Supporters from trade unions urged council support. Andrew Gonzales of the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Structured Trades Council said, "I am here to speak in favor of [the] community workforce agreement, our successor agreement," and praised the Civic Center project's timeliness and budget performance. Israel Mosqueda of IBEW Local 441 urged the council to "join us in an effort to provide lasting financial security for people of Garden Grove by voting to renew the community workforce agreement." Henry Hillebrick, representing Local 582 Plumbers and Steamfitters, asked the council to extend the CWA so members can work closer to home.

Opponents also addressed the council. Dave Everett of the Western Electrical Contractors Association criticized project labor agreements (which some municipalities call community workforce agreements), calling them "discriminatory" and asserting they raise costs and limit nonunion participation; Everett told the council local-hire goals often fall far short of targets.

Councilmembers thanked speakers and noted the record of public engagement. The council recorded support for the consent calendar items that included workforce provisions; the mayor later referenced the council’s action on the CWA during closing remarks.

The meeting record shows both labor leaders and representatives of trade associations made claims about cost, local-hire rates and discrimination; councilmembers said staff and stakeholders worked closely on the agreement and letters of support were received from state and federal representatives.