City Council - Labor and Economic Development Committee Hearing on Docket #0218

Committee Chair Brian Worrell called the hearing to order at 2:05 p.m., noting that letters of absence were received from Councilor Julia Mejia and Council President Liz Breadon. Councilor Edward Flynn delivered opening remarks emphasizing the importance of economic equity, middle-class workforce pathways, and consistent enforcement through the Boston Employment Commission.

• Chair Worrell and Senior Manager Chris Brown honored the memory of two prominent late advocates for the Boston Resident Jobs Policy:
  • Brooke Woodson, who passed away on September 26 at age 62 after serving 20 years as Director of the Boston Resident Jobs Policy Office.
  • Janet Jones, longtime community organizer who passed away on June 21 and co-founded the Dorchester Roxbury Labor Committee.
• A brief moment of silence was observed in their memory.

Officials from the Worker Empowerment Cabinet's Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections presented an operational update and compliance data spanning April 1, 2026, through September 30, 2026.

• Program Overview and Initiatives:

  • BRJP sets standards across covered city projects and private developments over 50,000 square feet: 51% Boston resident hours, 40% people of color hours, and 12% female hours.
  • Department initiatives include enforcement of the Living Wage and Prevailing Wage Ordinances, Wage Theft Executive Order, free OSHA 10 and 30 safety trainings, and the Heat Illness and Injury Prevention Ordinance.
  • The office transitioned compliance reporting to a real-time Salesforce platform allowing contractors, developers, and trades to be tracked by project and trade.
  • A Bloomberg Philanthropies grant stemming from the Mayor's 2025 Project Labor Agreement is expanding registered apprenticeship pathways from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School from 50 to 100 students, including middle school engagement and after-hours "Vocation by Madison" programming.

• Citywide Compliance Data (April 1 – September 30, 2026):

  • Total Projects Monitored: 150 total projects (44 private developments over 50,000 sq. ft.; 106 public projects across the Mayor's Office of Housing, Public Facilities Department, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works).
  • Private Projects (3,100,000 hours): 18% Boston resident, 41% people of color, 8% women.
  • Public Projects (660,000 hours): 22% Boston resident, 58% people of color, 5% women.
  • Combined Totals (3,762,000 hours): 19% Boston resident, 44% people of color, 7% women.
  • Department Breakdown: Mayor's Office of Housing logged 454,000 hours (21% resident, 67% people of color, 4% women); Public Facilities recorded 95,000 hours (24% resident, 36% people of color, 8% women); Public Works recorded 90,000 hours (28% resident, 44% people of color, 4% women); and Parks and Recreation logged 20,000 hours (15% resident, 28% people of color, under 1% women).

• White Stadium Project Metrics:

  • East Grandstand (approx. 60,000 hours): 39% resident, 49% people of color, 14% women.
  • West Grandstand (approx. 48,000 hours): 36% resident, 45% people of color, 10% women.

Councilors questioned administration officials regarding the underlying drivers of demographic shortfalls, data collection procedures, and statutory enforcement mechanisms.

• Permitting and Statutory Enforcement:

  • Councilor Flynn cited a 1985 executive order provision suggesting the Commissioner of Inspectional Services should withhold building permits if developers fail to comply with Boston Redevelopment Authority-approved residency employment standards. Officials agreed to provide a legal comparison between the 1985 and 2017 policy provisions, noting that state building code constraints typically limit permit withholding, but compliance histories are provided to city procurement teams.

• Jobs Bank and Pipeline Retention:

  • Councilor John Fitzgerald inquired about low resident percentages and the status of the BRJP Jobs Bank. Officials confirmed that contractor utilization of the jobs bank remains under 20 requests annually, as the pool consists largely of entry-level, unskilled workers, whereas union trades dispatch licensed journey people directly via their business managers.

• Late Payrolls and Enforcement Penalties:

  • In response to Councilor Benjamin Weber, staff detailed the stepped warning system for late payroll submissions (first warning, corrective action meeting, second written warning, and Boston Employment Commission sanction referrals). Officials noted significant fines have been levied once recently ($11,000), while most contractors rectify reporting delays following initial warnings.

• Wage Data Reporting:

  • Chair Worrell inquired whether wage dollar amounts can be captured alongside work hours for private projects. Officials noted certified payroll and wage data have been mandated in Salesforce for public prevailing-wage projects since November 2024, but extending wage data collection to private developments would likely require municipal ordinance amendments.

• Advisory Committee Status:

  • Officials reported that the Living Wage Advisory Committee is being integrated into a consolidated labor compliance advisory board, slated to be established within the current fiscal year.

Chair Worrell called for public testimony.

• No members of the public signed up or appeared to testify in person or virtually.
• Following concluding remarks acknowledging community engagement and labor advocates, the hearing was adjourned.