“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>Minority participation goals must be reached deliberately and with agreement on all sides, said Claude Brown, who was hired as a facilitator last month by the Metropolitan Sewer District to broker a deal on minority workforce goals among minority, union and trade groups.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>However, the district has been “talking” about workforce goals among stakeholders for a long time, MSD Trustee James Buford said at the Feb. 7 MSD stakeholders relations committee meeting.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“They know their positions, they are hunkering down and they aren’t going to move,” said Buford, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“So someone is going to have to do what’s right. If we wait for everyone at this table to agree on what we’re proposing, then we’d be at this for 10 years. All we’re talking about is some interim goals and a disparity study.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In December, the board voted down a resolution to increase minority participation on construction and service contracts. Opposing trustees said the district must complete a disparity study before a policy can be passed.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>However, at the Jan. 26 board meeting, MSD Executive Director Jeff Theerman said this conversation is not over, and the district should pass an interim policy while waiting for the disparity study’s completion.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Our goal is to engage a wide variety of stakeholders on how we can improve our inclusion policies over the coming months, thereby creating a model diversity program,” Theerman said. “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Deliberate but not delayed “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In early January, MSD contracted Brown for six months (at $3,000 a month) to facilitate conversations about an interim policy between minority, labor and trade groups. Brown is the former president of the St. Louis NAACP*, a retired Teamster, Democratic committeeman for the 2nd Ward and veteran political operative. His contract allows for an additional six months if necessary – which critics say leaves Brown with incentive to delay the process.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“[Stakeholders] want it to be deliberate,” Brown said, at the Feb. 7 committee meeting. “We don’t want to put together something so fast that people are back saying that this doesn’t work.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the Feb. 7 meeting, Brown said he will come back to the board trustees in 30 days with a proposal. However, Buford warned against the district dragging its feet.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Over the next 20 years, MSD must complete $4.7 billion in improvements. Some of these contracts are ready to be signed in the near future. And some contracts for professional services can be for 10-year periods or more, though all multi-year professional contracts are structured to be for 1-year, with annual 1-year renewals, exercised at the discretion of MSD’s board.** “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Policy should include workforce “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>If the board were to speed things up, they would most likely adopt an interim policy proposed in December by MSD Trustee David Visintainer. And this policy does not address workforce goals, said St. Louis NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“There’s no way in the world we cannot address workforce,” Pruitt said. “In this economy, that’s the one thing that everyone agrees is needed – jobs. So why would I agree to an interim policy that doesn’t address workforce goals?”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Visintainer proposed to set goals at 25 percent minority-owned business enterprises (MBE) and 5 percent women-owned business enterprises (WBE) for building construction subcontracting goals on projects more than $50,000. Non-building construction subcontracting goals for projects more than $50,000 would remain at 10 percent MWBE, with at least 5 percent MBE. The professional services subcontracting goals would be 30 percent MWBE, (with at least 15 percent MBE and 5 percent WBE on each project.)
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The proposal also includes an apprenticeship program on all construction projects greater than $1 million.**
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Currently MSD awards 25 percent of all building contracts more than $50,000 cumulatively to either MBEs or WBEs, and its workforce participation goals are 14.7 percent for minorities and 6.9 percent for women on all contracts $1 million or more.**
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Resolution 3001 proposed in December would have set separate subcontracting goals for MBE (25 percent) and for WBE (5 percent) for all construction and professional service contracts of $50,000 or more. It would have also set a new minority workforce goal of 25 percent. “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Dooley ups inclusion game “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley recently replaced one of his board appointees, Gerald Feldhaus, who voted against the resolution on Dec. 8. Dooley appointed Michael Yates, an African American, on Jan. 17. Board resolutions and ordinances require two affirmative votes from the three City Trustees and two affirmative votes from the three County Trustees.*** “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Pruitt predicts that City Trustee John Goffstein will not vote in favor for any interim policy because some construction trade groups have threatened to sue the district if minority workforce goals were increased.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Although such lawsuits have been successful in cities that did not conduct disparity studies before mandating workforce goals, Pruitt said these lawsuits would lose because there have been several disparity studies done in the St. Louis region already.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He’s using the threat of litigation as a barrier to creativity,” Pruitt said. “The threat of paying law fees should not be the one thing from keeping MSD from doing the right thing.” “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Disparity study contract “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the Feb. 9 board meeting, the board is expected to adopt a contract with Mason Tillman for the disparity study.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Mason Tillman, owned by an African-American woman, was recommended because of its strong track record.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At a special board meeting on Jan. 25, the board announced that the district received six written responses, and two firms were granted oral interviews on January 24. The price range of the proposals ranged from a low of $307,000 to a high of $558,000. The cost for Mason Tillman’s study is $385,000 for three distinct phases of work, and the firm will help with recommendations towards workforce participation.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>* Corrections
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>* The story has been corrected from titling Claude Brown Sr. as the current 1st Vice President of the NAACP – St. Louis City.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>** information added at MSD’s request
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>*** The story has been corrected.
