Port of Oakland gives $70,000 for local apprenticeship training
Cypress Mandela receives funding for building trades careers
Oakland, Calif. – May 11, 2017: The Port of Oakland has provided $70,000 to the Cypress Mandela Training Center to prepare local workers in the building trades. Through the Port’s project labor agreement Social Justice Fund; this grant will help fund apprenticeship training. The Port has partnered with the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council and AFL-CIO to select Cypress Mandela.
“We selected the Cypress Mandela Training Center because they offer a strong pre-apprenticeship training program with demonstrated success in placing historically underemployed workers,” said Port of Oakland Social Responsibility Division Director Amy Tharpe. “This grant funding will support our goal of preparing women, persons of color, veterans and the re-entry population for good-paying careers in the trades.”
Project labor agreements are collective bargaining agreements between public agencies, contractors, and local labor organizations. The agreements are authorized under the National Labor Relations Act.
The Port of Oakland created a Maritime and Aviation Project Labor Agreement (MAPLA) in 1999. The agreement covers maritime and aviation-related construction projects funded through the Port's Capital Improvement Program. MAPLA was renewed by the Port Commission in February 2016.
Through MAPLA, contractors working with the Port of Oakland agree pay into a Social Justice Trust fund that supports workforce development. Since 1999, the Social Justice Trust Fund has given $420,000 to local workforce development centers to support preparing individuals for construction careers.
About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.
Media contacts:
Mike Zampa
Communications Director
Port of Oakland
Tel. 510-627-1565
Marilyn Sandifur
Port Spokesperson
Port of Oakland
Tel. 510-627-1193
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