Pass the Syracuse Resident Employment Ordinance

Syracuse Common Council and the Mayor

The Urban Jobs Task Force, an organization made up of community groups; faith based organizations and concerned citizen, dedicated to creating a local economy that provides good jobs and job training for local communities of color, low income families and more opportunities for local woman and minority-owned enterprises.

We call on the Syracuse Common Council to pass the Syracuse Resident Employment Ordinance which would strive to provide:
1. Jobs for city residents. By setting a 20% hiring goal for big city construction, service and public works contracts. Half of that goal must be reserved for impoverished neighborhoods or for persons who are in a workforce database.
2. Local Community-Private Partnership. Community organizations, unions, workforce developers and advocates would help contractors find skilled resident labor so they successfully meet the goals of the ordinance.
3. Gathering of the job data. The ordinance requires that the employers must submit certified payroll data electronically into a city database. This would ensure employers are complying with the ordinance.
4. Accountability and Transparency. The city must continuously monitor the resident workforce hours and report to the Common Council quarterly.

To: Syracuse Common Council and the Mayor
From: [Your Name]

I believe that poverty hurts our city and our neighborhoods. Good jobs are the building blocks of vibrant neighborhoods. Therefore, we urge the Syracuse Common Council to pass a Resident Employment Ordinance requiring city contracts for construction, service and public works projects over $100,000 to employ city residents for at least 20% of the in-state contracted workforce hours, and that half of city resident work force hours go to residents of distressed neighborhoods. Upon passage of a Resident Employment Ordinance, we urge the Mayor to sign this ordinance and ensure that the law is implemented.