New Regional Workforce Equity Agreement sets construction diversity standards on capital projects

April 29, 2022
For a long time, Laura Tocki-Toggenburger was the only woman on the job, even on jobs with more than 100 tradespeople.
Laura Tocki-Toggenburger testifies before the Board of County Commissioners

During her four years of apprenticeship, Tocki-Toggenburger remembers hearing remarks like, “Wow, you’re strong for a girl,” or “You should smile more.” Sometimes she worked alone at jobs to avoid harassment or conflict. 

But now things are changing, Tocki-Toggenburger told the Board of Commissioners during the briefing on Tuesday, April 26. She said she gets to be involved with a once-in-a-lifetime project: a job that has agreed to set hiring standards that reflect the whole full diversity of the community. That added diversity means Tocki-Toggenburger is no longer the only woman on the job site. 

“My job has multiple journeymen, women, and people of color who are carpenters, laborers, operators, electricians, millwrights, apprentices, engineers, superintendents and project managers,” Tocki-Toggenburger said. 

Workforce equity is important in construction, Tocki-Toggenburger explained. Now, thanks to a Regional Workforce Equity Agreement, contractors throughout the region will be required to prioritize the diversity of their workforce on large public projects. 

The agreement, one of the first of its kind, makes regional goals and diversity requirements clear to contractors participating in projects involving Metro, City of Portland, and Multnomah County. Chair Deborah Kafoury has already signed the agreement, which will be put into practice with the Library Construction Bond Project. 

“I’ve been doing this work for about 30 years,” said Michael Burch, a retired community outreach specialist for the Regional Council of Carpenters. “I did not think that I would live long enough to see an agreement of this nature.”

Metro is the lead agency, with Multnomah County providing ongoing input throughout. Metro, Multnomah County and the City of Portland are the first to use the regional agreement on their projects. Similar to Project Labor Agreements or Community Benefit Agreements, experts believe the framework is only the second regional agreement of this type in the country.

“I just think about how many projects now we are working on in a more collaborative [way] at the metro level,” Chair Kafoury said. “We know, we say it often, things don’t stop at the border between Clackamas and Multnomah.”

Raahi Reddy, who directs Metro’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, said the agreement could not come at a more opportune time for the region. As diverse workers experience unprecedented economic challenges, the agreement provides economic opportunities for workers from some of the most marginalized communities. 

The framework stems from an initiative called Construction Careers Pathway Project,  known as “C2P2.” The partnership is a collaboration among partner agencies, community-based organizations, and trades aiming to build a diverse construction workforce for public projects involving the partner agencies over the next 10 years. 

Commissioner Susheela Jayapal said the project “couldn’t have come at a better time,” adding that the project comes at a period when “construction needs people in the workforce.”

The agreement has three key strategies. First, it will increase demand by incrementally progressing workforce goals. Then it will create a supply to meet the demand by investing in pre-apprenticeship, recruitment, and retention programs. And it provides mechanisms to track and review progress toward goals.

The agreement creates clarity and consistency across agencies and establishes clear expectations and accountability mechanisms for stakeholders. It also supports the participation of open shop and union contractors and creates on-ramps for other agencies.

Diverse workers will have access to living wage careers under the new framework. They will also have access to training opportunities, competitive benefits, and health care coverage with a family option.

Emmanuel Harris, a construction supplier diversity specialist with the Multnomah County Library Bond program, said there are currently five active projects which will all be “life changing.” 

“I can speak for the entire bond project on all levels when I say the implementation of this work force equity agreement will be a great vehicle to drive the mission of equity and inclusion and enhance the lives and spaces around us,” Harris said.

Construction was a pathway out of poverty for Maurice Rahming, the owner of O’Neill Electric. Now, Rahming said, the County and its partners are creating more pathways for other workers by changing the way the construction industry works. 

Most people enter the industry as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, or other skilled workers. Then they work their way up and become journeymen, supervisors, or business owners. Thanks to the workforce agreement, more people across the region will have opportunities to get their foot in the door. 

“I listened to a lot of people,” Rahming said. “They want to be in the game. And you guys are the coaches, and you guys are saying, ‘let them play.’”

Commissioners marked the agreement as a turning point and a leading example for other jurisdictions.

“As a small business owner, a woman-owned business, and a woman of color, I get how important this agreement is,” Commissioner Lori Stegmann said.

“What it really represents is a paradigm shift,” Commissioner Sharon Meieran said.

“There is a lot of work that I’m proud we have done at the County,” Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson said, “but this is in the top three.”