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Poll results

In a report to the Worcester City Council on Tuesday, city officials said of the active construction projects where developers are receiving property tax breaks, none of them are meeting their goals for hiring Worcester residents or people of color. The city is exploring potential penalties for when development projects don't meet their quotas, but right now, the hiring targets are largely unenforced goals. Construction companies on these projects have said the labor market for quality workers is very tight right now and it is exceedingly difficult to meet specific hiring targets for Worcester residents, people of color, and women.

Should developers receiving government tax breaks be penalized for failing to meet diversity hiring goals on their construction projects?
Yes, they should lose out on their tax breaks. (30%, 39 VOTES)
Yes, but the penalty should be a one-time payment and not impact the tax break. (11%, 14 VOTES)
No, as long as they make good-faith efforts to meet the hiring goals. (34%, 45 VOTES)
No, projects supported by government incentives shouldn't have diversity hiring goals. (25%, 33 VOTES)
Poll Description

In a report to the Worcester City Council on Tuesday, city officials said of the active construction projects where developers are receiving property tax breaks, none of them are meeting their goals for hiring Worcester residents or people of color. The city is exploring potential penalties for when development projects don't meet their quotas, but right now, the hiring targets are largely unenforced goals. Construction companies on these projects have said the labor market for quality workers is very tight right now and it is exceedingly difficult to meet specific hiring targets for Worcester residents, people of color, and women.

  • 131 Votes
  • 3 Comments
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3 Comments

  • Vicki Heidorn
    September 26, 2022

    In government contracts, instead of rewarding hiring goals, reward hiring goals met .

  • September 26, 2022

    I am a general contractor with an active project in this process. First, these goals are advertised by the city as “aspirational” in meetings with development teams. They most emphasize the reporting process - which is an extensive burden particularly for small projects.

    Second - historical demographics in the construction field will take a long time to overcome. You can’t snap your fingers and have a subcontracted workforce made up of 20% women, for example, when the national rate is closer to 9%. It takes time and steady recruitment, which is what these goals are helping to promote.

    These goals are important, but they are goals. My understanding is the city’s primary issue with the SoMa project is not they aren’t meeting their goals, but that their reporting is late and inconsistent - they treat the whole process with contempt.

    By all means, have goals and hold people accountable. But do understand there is more nuance to this process than looking at a city report and writing an article.

  • September 26, 2022

    The city should be helping to source and train workers. They can work with community organizations and our schools for the pipeline of candidates. They can help make introductions and build relationships between developers and the community.