02/24/2015 Board of Public Works Meeting

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REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 24, 2015 49 2. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect after its adoption by the City of South Bend Board of Public Works. ADOPTED at a meeting of the Board of Public Works of the City of South Bend, Indiana held on February 24, 2015, at 1308 County -City Building, 227 West Jefferson Boulevard, South Bend, Indiana 46601. ADOPTED this 24th day of February, 2015. CITY OF SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS sl Gary A. Gilot s/ David P. Relos s/ Patrick M. Henthorn ATTEST: s /Lee A. Bene, Acting Clerk ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 09 -2015 — A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS ADOPTING COMMON CONSTRUCTION WAGE RATES FOR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS ESTIMATED TO COST MORE THAN $175 IN 2015 Mr. Eric Horvath, Director of Public Works, stated that Mayor Pete Buttigieg requested the Board of Public Works ratify the resolution regarding the City's support of common construction wage rates for Public Work's projects in light of the impending State Legislature repealing the law regarding such. This action is in recognition of the value of a skilled labor force being paid fair wages and benefits and support of continuing the trade's apprenticeship programs. Mr. Gilot thanked Mr. Horvath and Mayor Pete for getting right on this issue in view of the pending state legislation to repeal the "prevailing construction wage" law. He stated the wages and benefits on public infrastructure projects apply to union and non -union contractors alike and it is important to provide continuity of good public policy in the City of South Bend that maintains respect for fair wages for the workers who construct the (Water, Wastewater, Sewers, Curbs, Walks and Roads) building blocks of civilization in our City. Mr. Gilot stated the Board will honor Mayor Pete's request today, and noted he fully supports it as the right thing to do. Mr. Gilot noted that many of the Public Works facilities in South Bend are lasting 20, 50, even 100 years and he can't see how a race to the bottom on wages and benefits for the skilled trades providing the workmanship that help produce these impressive service lives builds a better future. He added that training in the Guild Hall model of novice, apprentice, journeyman and master of trades has been critical to passing skills to build things from generation to generation, and we are doing the right thing by upholding wages and benefits that are critical to preserving that institutional capacity of skilled construction trades education. Upon a motion made by David Relos, seconded by Patrick Henthorn and carried, the following Resolution was adopted by the Board of Public Works: RESOLUTION NO. 09 -2015 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS ADOPTING COMMON CONSTRUCTION WAGE RATES FOR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS ESTIMATED TO COST MORE THAN $175,000 IN 2015 WHEREAS, the City of South Bend desires that workers on public works projects be compensated fairly for the application of their skills and trailing; and WHEREAS, the State of Indiana House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 1019 which would repeal Indiana Code §5- 16 -7 -1, et seq, which is commonly known as the state's common construction wage statute; and WHEREAS, the Saint Joseph Valley Building Trades Council is an independent organization representing Indiana's construction unions that has conducted surveys of the labor rates in South Bend and Saint Joseph County and it has participated in many Common Construction Wage Rate determination hearings for City of South Bend projects resulting in the adoption of the St. Joseph Valley Building Trade Council's surrey as the common wage rate for public works projects; and