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San Francisco Local Hiring Law Gives Construction Workers Hope

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)- A local hiring ordinance went into effect Friday in San Francisco. Contractors and trade workers looking to do city works, construction or improvement projects are hopeful about new opportunities.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said hundreds of workers are already trained through the city's CityBuild project and are waiting for a job offer.

The eventual goal is to have 50 percent of the workers on all city funded construction jobs to not only work, but live in San Francisco. The law begins with a 20 percent local hire requirement this year and expands five percent each year until it reaches its goal.

CityBuild is an employment program under the Workforce Development Division of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. The program provides workforce training and job placement services to San Francisco residents looking for jobs in the construction industry.
Mayor Lee said he's been hearing from residents about their frustrations in searching for work.

KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:

"Jobs for them are about not only income, it's about dignifying where they're at. There's so much economic hurt throughout this city, that I couldn't avoid but give them some hope," Lee said.

The mayor has also been talking to trade unions and construction firms that stand to benefit from billions of dollars of projects in the City's pipeline.

He hopes contractors will reach out and get the San Francisco residents who are waiting for those jobs and that they're held accountable.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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