Tag Archives: Larry Oetker
Local Employers Push Back Against Proposed Labor Agreement for Humboldt Offshore Wind Terminal Project
Union members largely support the PLA, whereas the companies argue that it does not provide fair and equal opportunity for all construction and trade workers. What is a PLA, you ask? A PLA is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement made between one or more construction unions and one or more contractors to establish the terms and conditions of a specific project, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. A PLA is required for any federally funded construction project valued at more than $35 million, per an Executive Order issued by President Joe Biden in February 2022. The Harbor District has received dozens of letters of support for the PLA from construction and trade union members, representatives of Cal Poly Humboldt and regional elected officials, including state Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood. Some non-union contractors, on the other hand, fear the proposed agreement would put many prospective local workers at a disadvantage. >click to read< 17:02
Old lumber port preps for new life as California offshore wind hub
Eureka’s halcyon days as the “timber capital” of California are long gone, but the deepwater port city 270 miles north of San Francisco may see its fortunes turn as the hub of the state’s first foray in offshore wind energy. Eureka sits across two of the five swaths of Pacific Ocean along the California coast that the federal government auctioned off to offshore wind developers this past December for a total of $757 million. The three other leases are on the Central Coast across from Morro Bay. Humboldt Bay, the second-largest bay in California after the San Francisco Bay, is ideally suited to become the final assembly port for the massive turbines. >click to read< 15:43
