Editorial: Bill 37 needs a makeover

Even as he objected to elements of Bill 37, Mayor Kirk Caldwell allowed it to become law without his signature on Oct. 24.

The controversial measure requires the city to enter a community workforce agreement (CWA) with building trade unions on “critical” city construction projects worth $2 million or more. It passed the City Council on a 7-2 vote on Oct. 9.

Proponents say the CWAs would prohibit labor strikes or slowdowns on projects with critical construction deadlines. On large projects, this could be a benefit. But opponents argue that the bill would require open-shop contractors and subcontractors to pay union benefits, driving up their costs and by extension, the city’s.

There’s also the possibility that fewer contractors could afford to bid, leaving the city at the mercy of a handful of contractors with the freedom to drive a harder bargain. Aren’t city construction projects expensive enough?

In an Oct. 24 letter to the Council, Caldwell pointed out some of his own concerns with Bill 37:

>> It improperly infringes on the city administration’s authority to procure public works projects and engage in labor agreements.

>> Federal funding on projects could be lost because certain provisions are contrary to federal rules, including a local hiring preference.

In other words, there were plenty of reasons for the Council to reject Bill 37 — and for Caldwell to veto it. But unfortunately, neither happened.

So what’s left is for Council members to take up Caldwell’s proposal to fix the flaws in the new ordinance before it take effect on May 30. It’s the least they should do.