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Building Trades, KIWA Fight for Living Wages

Community Groups Team-Up on Living Wages for Construction, Grocery Workers

The Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council has joined forces with the Korean Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) to pressure the city to ensure that plans for the redevelopment of 130,000 square foot commercial complex in the Wilshire Center/Koreatown area includes living wages for construction workers on the project, and the grocery workers employed by the California Market, the owner/developer of the project.

KIWA is a non-profit community base organization devoted to improving the lives of low wage workers through organizing, service and advocacy. Since its inception in 1992, KIWA has represented thousands of workers in claims totaling over $8 million in minimum wage and overtime violations.

California Market is currently seeking a number of land use approvals, variances and conditional use permits from the city for the redevelopment project, which KIWA and the Building Trades Council believe should be granted only if California Market becomes a socially responsible developer and owner. According to KIWA California Market has a long history of violating labor and employment laws including failure to pay correct overtime wages and failure to report and pay unemployment insurance taxes. Such behavior, they claim, should not be supported by the City.

“The City has an interest in promoting jobs with living wages,” said Richard Slawson, head of the Building Trades Council. “The CRA should move this project forward when we have secured living wages for the construction workers and grocery workers.

“California Market has come to city to ask for variances in order to redevelopment their retail space,” said Vy Nguyen, an organizer with KIWA. “The City must ensure that California Market gives something back in return.”

The partnership between the Building Trades and KIWA is a part of a growing trend in organizing efforts with the Building Trades. One that harnesses the efforts of community based organizations and other community stake holders to ensure community benefits and prevailing wages on city development projects.

“Labor unions need to look to building relationships with community organizations,” said Damon Gonzales, an organizer with Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 36. “More often then not we all want the same thing: socially responsible development that creates jobs with living wages among other issues. These groups can often be a great asset in helping us ensure that unscrupulous contractors aren’t getting our tax dollars or other breaks from the City.”

“We are very excited to work with the Building Trades on this issue,” said Nguyen. “The Building Trades have had a difficult time organizing in the Koreatown area, which is usually very insular. This is a great opportunity for the Building Trades to partner with a community organization and create good jobs for everyone.

The CRA is in support of the demands of the Building Trades Council and KIWA. They are currently awaiting a determination from the City Attorney as to whether or not the CRA has the authority to impose living wage requirements on the project.

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