FYI: The New York City Housing Authority has finally agreed to enforce federal and local mandates requiring its contractors to hire public housing residents. According to the Trade Unions & Residents for Apprenticeship Development & Economic Success (TRADES) coalition, in an effort to boost the number of residents working on NYCHA projects, the authority has promised to devote $450 million from its construction and maintenance budget and 225 new jobs for first-year union apprenticeships, all to be spread out over a three-year period. The new program, dubbed CM/Build, will require bidders to have state-approved apprenticeship programs–often run by the unions–offer training, and adhere to existing prevailing wage laws. NYCHA will also mobilize more investigators on construction sites to monitor compliance with the federal mandate and circulate multi-lingual posters urging workers to report infractions. TRADES submitted a memorandum of understanding for a similar apprenticeship program last September, and NYCHA’s CM/Build includes many aspects of that proposal. But TRADES still wants more effort made on behalf of public housing residents who are already union members, as well as second and third-year apprentices. Look for more on the story in the upcoming July/August issue of City Limits magazine.[6/13/03]