11/20/2007 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 11/20/2007 payment plan, who would suspect that suddenly you would pull the pool out from under us? A caring commissioner would have worked out a schedule to keep all long-time participants happy or at least would have arranged with a nearby facility to accommodate us from November 2 through February 8. I certainly understand that MONEY TALKS, but so do spurned swimmers. Why would any of us in the class ever vote for a levy to improve the center or encourage our neighbors to do so?-and it needs improvement. I certainly hope you'll get back to the drawing board and readjust schedules to accommodate all of us or, at least, use your position to set us up with another facility." At the request of Ryan Martin, President and CEO of Associated Builders & Contractors, Northern Ohio Chapter, the following a-mail correspondence was read: "It has come to my attention that Ordinance 2007-96 is up for third consideration at this evening's council meeting. On behalf of Associated Builders and Contractors' (ABC) 350 member-companies I would like to write and inform you of our strong opposition to Project Labor Agreements (PLA's) which require union membership as a condition of employment. ABC has a 57 year history of fighting such legislation that force employees, against their will, to join a union in order to be employed. Indeed, ABC did so when similar legislation was considered (and defeated) by North Olmsted City Council in 1999. PLA's do nothing to enhance quality or ensure a project is on time or on budget. Quite the contrary, PLA's drive up costs by limiting prospective bidders to those interested in forcing their employees to be union. I have attached a piece called Quotable which details news reports on area PLA's and the destructive consequences that they've had on projects for which they've been implemented. Neither do PLA's ensure a local workforce as some claim. I have also attached a spreadsheet detailing union membership density in Ohio and in the Cleveland MSA. In Ohio, unions represent 20.1 % of private construction, and in the Cleveland MSA they represent just 26.4%. How would limiting prospective bidders to the quarter that meet the PLA's central requirement ensure more participation from the Local workforce? Finally, PLA's are a thing of the past. Already this year, the Cuyahoga County Camia~s~a„n,Qrs unanimously rescinded an ordinance requiring PLA's. Within the last month, Painesville City Schools repealed their PLA. When bids came in, they were more than $1 million under budget (on a $19 million project) and used this savings to add more than $660,000 worth of alternates. Akron City Schools have refused. to use. a PLA in spite of months of pressure from city officials and the unions. Just Iht. bw a vote of li-1 the Massillon City Council reiected legislation nearly identical to yours! I have attached the article for your review. Each of these governmental entities have had their taste of PLA's and decided they weren't palatable. I respectfully request that you vote against this ordinance, or at the very least, return it to eonz~ittee in order to fore fully determine why _it is that four other public bodies have soundly reiec d t~,em in gust the last few months. I am happy to make myself available to assist you in any way I can." Councilman Gareau said he did not have an objection to hearing what Mr. Martin has to say and finding out more about Akron, Painesville and Cuyahoga County. Councilman Gareau made a motion to send Ordinance 2007-96 back to committee. The motion was seconded by Council Member Dailey Jones. Roll call: Gareau, yes; Jones, yes; Miller, no; Ryan, no, with comment that he believed the administration was present and believed 8