In a bid to raised serve native staff and guarantee accountable use of public funds, Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) and Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) have taken step one to ascertain a “San Antonio Trades Advisory Board.”
The proposed board would “be sure that public cash is spent responsibly whereas encouraging native hiring and employee protections,” the 2 council members mentioned in a press launch. The council consideration request was filed April 1 and can subsequent head to the council’s governance committee.
McKee-Rodriguez and Castillo mentioned the board would mirror comparable initiatives in Texas, similar to Harris County’s Important Staff Board, which was created in 2021.
“The creation of the Trades Advisory Board will serve San Antonio in a extra expansive and truthful means by inviting staff to guide the conversations and choices that the majority have an effect on them,” mentioned McKee-Rodriguez.
The board could be made up of representatives “devoted to employee pursuits, workforce growth, and labor protections. It should embrace union representatives,” and would come with no less than one rank-and-file employee to offer an on-the-ground perspective, based on the request.
It will additionally embrace a liaison from the Mayor’s Workplace and Metropolis Council, together with representatives from labor-friendly nonprofits, and authorized specialists targeted on wage theft prevention, employee misclassification and labor regulation compliance.
The request means that the board be arrange as a pilot program for one yr. Throughout this era, the board would focus particularly on city-funded initiatives in areas like development, telecommunications, and infrastructure. The purpose could be to make sure that taxpayer cash is spent properly, whereas additionally prioritizing hiring native staff and imposing sturdy labor requirements, Castillo mentioned.
“The imaginative and prescient for this board is to make sure that staff have a seat on the desk, lifting their voice with regards to imposing labor requirements, workforce growth and coaching, and coordinating these efforts inside publicly funded metropolis contracts,” Castillo mentioned. “As we envision the way forward for San Antonio, this board can be an important asset for the employees who construct this Metropolis.”
Supporting signatures have been supplied by Council members Sukh Kaur (D1), Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) and Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6).
