Many Kansas Citians have noticed signs around City Hall and the Port Authority of Kansas City protesting their construction project processes and policies. While the groups are asking for heavier investment in craft professional wages and to restrict construction training pathways, the full story and impact is a bit more complicated.
Port KC is considering a proposal that would encourage general contractors to support registered apprenticeship programs and require prevailing wages on its projects. Because the proposals do not mandate that every contractor use registered apprenticeship programs for every craft they employ, the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council has started a bannering campaign targeting Port KC.
The largest consequence of these proposals would be to sideline any skilled craft worker who didn’t choose apprenticeship as their training method. These professionals are not outsiders. They are our neighbors, family members and community members. They are the people building Kansas City’s commercial, industrial, residential and infrastructure projects today. They pay the very taxes that support these developments…