Contractors Fight For Fair Share, Certification Testing
April 25, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — The Asian American Contractors Association celebrated 32 years of opening up business contracting in state and local governments last Friday with more than 250 members and friends from Asian American construction, electrical, architectural and engineering companies.
A recent court decision challenging state law could allow San Francisco to practice affirmative action in public contracting if past discrimination of Asian Americans is verified. “We have good reason to hope for better days again,” said Sherman Chiu, president of the association.
Proposition 209, passed by the California electorate in 1996, barred the city from contracting with disadvantaged minority and women businesses on the basis of race, sex, national origin, ethnicity and color.
“Many of us have been squeezed out of public funded projects,” said Chiu. Efforts to help disadvantaged businesses circumvent Proposition 209 were “not very effective in bringing diversity in public works contracting,” he added.
In addition to fighting Proposition 209, AACA members met with state legislators and agencies in Sacramento to raise objections to state project labor agreements that have discriminated against APA contractors from competing for state and local construction contracts like building public schools and colleges.
AACA members also pressed legislators to expand state certification testing of electricians in Chinese.
“Testing in only English and Spanish is not fair to the Asian American community, especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles where there are thousands of Chinese American electricians,” said former president Hanson Lee in a statement. “Only 50 percent of electricians statewide pass this test, creating a great shortage of certified electricians.”
Supervisor Ed Jew spoke about San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ efforts to lower the requirement for “inclusionary housing” for residential developments with at least two units.
Under last month’s proposal, the city will require that a second unit would be affordable. The supervisor noted that it could give preference to larger developers and hurt smaller ones like AACA members. “It will eliminate your business,” said Jew. “I hope this inclusionary housing for two units and above will be tabled forever.”
“We see more and more the good old boys network again. Contracts and employment go to the well connected building local and small businesses. The workers are squeezed out.”
— Sherman Chiu, president, Asian American Contractors Association
“[Meetings between construction unions and APA contractors] have borne fruit now to a point now where you have representatives from the iron workers, representatives from the carpenters, electricians and other trades participating in various kinds of activities with Asian contractors. There’s a beginning of relationships that will foster into better relationships.”
— State Senator Leland Yee, who arranged meetings years ago between the AACA, Building and Construction Trades Council and ASIAN Inc.
“Doing [my campaign] on a shoe string budget and making sure it’s all about work and it’s not all about money. That’s what the Asian American Contractors Association is all about.”
— Ed Jew, Supervisor, comparing his election campaign to the AACA
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