Most elected boards of urban K-12 school districts in California surrendered long ago and gave construction trade unions a monopoly on the contract workforce for building their school facilities. Long Beach Unified School District - for whatever reason - had not joined them. But tonight (January 22, 2020) the unions will get their costly and discriminatory prize.

See Item 25 on the January 22, 2020 meeting agenda of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education: Consideration of Approval of a Community Workforce Development (CWD) Agreement.

In 2012, the Long Beach Unified School District board adopted a procedure to encourage local source hiring and local business participation on certain contracts funded by bond measures, and it expanded this procedure in 2018. But that does not mean paying union dues and fees. It wasn't enough for the unions.

Los Angeles Unified School District was the first California K-12 school district to require construction companies to sign a Project Labor Agreement with unions as a condition of working on contracts. It was then joined by West Contra Costa Unified School District, Vallejo City Unified School District, and Oakland Unified School District.

Why any school board members would look at this list of early adapters and decide that their own school district should join the list is beyond the understanding of the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction. But we suspect it has something to do with union campaign contributions and a lack of respect for taxpayers.

Long Beach will join these California school districts that have mandated or currently mandate Project Labor Agreements:

Alameda Unified School District - 2016

Albany Unified School District - 2005

Alum Rock Union Elementary School District - 2009, 2013

Anaheim Elementary School District - 2018

Anaheim Union High School District - 2017

Antioch Unified School District - 2013

Azusa Unified School District -2016

Bassett Unified School District - 2015

Berkeley Unified School District - 2011

Berryessa Union School District - 2015

Centinela Valley Union High School District - 2009

Centralia School District - 2017

Chula Vista Elementary School District - 2015, 2018

Coachella Valley Unified School District - 2016

Compton Unified School District - 2005, 2015

Delano Union School District* - 2011

East Side Union High School District - 2003 etc.

El Monte Union High School District - 2013

El Rancho Unified School District -2018

Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District - 2017

Fremont Unified School District - 2016

Fremont Union High School District - 2009, 2016, 2019

Hacienda La Puente Unified School District - 2013

Hayward Unified School District - 2009, 2015

Inglewood Unified School District - 2012, 2019

John Swett Unified School District - 2009

Los Angeles Unified School District - 1999 etc.

Lynwood Unified School District - 2013, 2017

Martinez Unified School District - 2018

Milpitas Unified School District - 2012, 2019

Mountain View School District - 2017

Montebello Unified School District - 2014

Mt. Diablo Unified School District - 2006

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District - 2018, 2019

Oakland Unified School District - 2003, 2005, 2016

Oakley Union Elementary School District** - 2004

Oxnard School District - 2015, 2019

Oxnard Union High School District - 2013, 2019

Palmdale School District - 2017

Pasadena Unified School District - 2012

Pittsburg Unified School District - 2004

Rialto Unified School District - 2001

Rio School District** - 2004

Roseville City School District** - 2004

Sacramento City Unified School District - 2005 etc.

Salinas Union High School District - 2015

San Diego Unified School District - 2009

San Francisco Unified School District - 2008, 2013, 2019

San Gabriel Unified School District - 2010

San Leandro Unified School District - 2007, 2012, 2017

San Mateo Union High School District - 2002, 2009, 2011

San Ramon Valley Unified School District** - ?

Santa Ana Unified School District - 2000, 2017

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District - 2017

South San Francisco Unified School District - 2011

Stockton Unified School District - 2019

Sweetwater Union High School District - 2016

Vallejo City Unified School District - 2001, 2020

West Contra Costa Unified School District - 2000 etc.

Whittier City School District - 2015, 2018

* Signed by lease-leaseback contractor.
** Signed by developer building schools to transfer to district.