June 9 - Mayor Byron W. Brown, Chairman of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation, is pleased to announce the signing of the Northland Project Labor Agreement (PLA) between the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. (BUDC) and the Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council for the rehabilitation of 683 Northland Ave into the Northland Workforce Training Center. Last month, the demolition of buildings began at the site of the $60 million Northland Corridor project,marking the physical start of the transformation of the 35-acre site into a light industrial business hub that will include the state-of-the-art workforce training center.The PLA will ensure that the training center will be built on time and within budget with a highly skilled, diverse workforce, while at the same time providing training opportunities for the next generation of skilled construction tradesmen and women. Mayor Brown stated, “By working together with the Building and Construction Trades Council, we’ve arrived at a great agreement that will ensure that Buffalo’s diverse communities benefit from these construction opportunities and jobs. And, the promise of job opportunities presented today will be consistently monitored, ensuring that all city residents can participate in the economic lifeblood of our city.” During his remarks, Mayor Brown commended BUDC President Director Peter Cammarata, Chief Diversity Officer Crystal Rodriguez, Paul Brown President of the Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council, Sam Capitano of Laborers 210 and other Trade leaders, and Anna Falicov from the COB Legal Department for working so hard on this PLA that will expand opportunities for city residents and ensure a successful project.
The PLA addresses far more than brick and mortar issues in that:
• It includes a unique component, a “Community Workforce Agreement” that sets high goals for the employment of minorities, women, city resident and apprentices
• Specifically, the project has a 25% minority, 5% female, 30% city resident and 20% apprentice hour goals
• In addition, the agreement guarantees entry of up to 20 individuals from the project zip code and surrounding zip codes into the Buffalo Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program
• The Program is an 8 week paid training program open to individuals interested in a career in the construction trades