A requirement that companies bidding on large Des Plaines projects have active apprenticeship and training programs will remain in effect despite objections by half of the city’s aldermen.
A requirement that companies bidding on large Des Plaines projects have active apprenticeship and training programs will remain in effect despite objections by half of the city’s aldermen.
The council voted Sept. 28 on a proposed amendment to the city’s responsible bidding ordinance that would have eliminated the requirement. The motion failed in a 4-4 tie with Mayor Matt Bogusz casting a vote against amending the rule. Changing the ordinance would have required five favorable votes, according to city attorney Peter Friedman.
The responsible bidding ordinance stipulates that for projects costing more than $25,000, the city can hire only companies that have registered apprenticeship and training programs with the U.S. Department of Labor. According to a memo written by city staff, union contractors generally participate in such programs.
Aldermen voted 4-3 at an earlier meeting to strike the requirement from the city’s code.
The lengthy debate over the issue was punctuated by bursts of applause, laughter and occasional jeering from a substantial crowd gathered in city hall. Roughly a dozen people spoke in favor of maintaining the requirement, and the vast majority were self-identified union members.
The secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor, Bob Reiter, said the training and apprenticeship programs were necessary to ensure a quality product and the safety of those on the job.
“We believe and stand behind the quality of our work, and I feel confident we will get the work up here regardless of what decision you make on the responsible bidder ordinance, but that’s not a reason to say we don’t need it,” Reiter said.
Fifth Ward Alderman James Brookman said he continued to stand by his previous comments on the issue. He said the requirement had already cost the city thousands of dollars and potentially prevented companies without apprenticeship and training programs from bidding on the work in the first place.
Three low bids from non-unions companies were rejected by the city over the last three years as a result of the responsible bidder ordinance, and the difference between the amount awarded for the projects and the low bids total just over $80,000, according to a memo from staff.
Brookman said it wasn’t the job of the city’s elected officials to legislate “the union agenda.”
“At the end of the day, our responsibility is to make sure the work is done well and we do that,” he said. “Our staff checks the references and prior performance of any company that does work in Des Plaines, union and non-union.”
Bogusz reiterated his position that the ordinance, as it currently stands, is necessary to guarantee the city receives quality work for its money.
“I think the responsible bidder ordinance, as it’s on the books right now, ensures we have the best labor for the rate we are mandated by the state to pay,” he said. His comments drew a round of applause from the audience. Bogusz previously vetoed an attempt in 2013 to strike the training and apprenticeship requirement from the responsible bidder ordinance.
In addition to Brookman, Aldermen Patricia Haugeberg, 1st, Denise Rodd, 3rd and Michael Charewicz, 8th, voted to eliminate the requirement, while Aldermen John Robinson, 2nd, Dick Sayad, 4th and Don Smith, 7th, favored keeping it on the books, along with the mayor. Sixth Ward Alderman Malcolm Chester was absent from the meeting.
