(ERIE COUNTY, NEW YORK) - Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has signed his 18th Executive Order, which mandates County Construction Projects of more than $250,000 - and involving at least three Workers - shall include requirements to employ local and disadvantaged Workers.

The purpose of the order is to foster construction employment opportunities for qualified local residents, underemployed individuals or otherwise disadvantaged Workers on construction projects located within the geographic boundaries of Erie County, which are bid by the county, the County Executive said.

"With this Executive Order we are ‘investing’ in our local Workforce and ‘extending opportunity’ to the over (182,000) working-age individuals in our region who are either unemployed or underemployed and looking for work.  Many of these Workers live in areas of Erie County with poverty rates of twenty-percent or greater, including areas that are urban, suburban and rural," Poloncarz said.  "Each year, Erie County invests over ($30 million) in tax dollars for Public Works Construction Projects across the county.  We are ‘leveraging that investment to create opportunity for more county residents and by doing so are ensuring that we are investing in our Workforce as well as our infrastructure.’"

The new order and accompanying policy are viewed as critical to building an inclusive and prepared Workforce and are vital components of the administration's Initiatives for a Smart Economy 2.0: Focus on Inclusion, the County Executive’s Office said.

Poloncarz was joined at a signing event late last week by a number of the area’s elected officials and community and Labor Leaders, including Buffalo Building & Construction Trades Council President Paul Brown, whose Trades Council represents 18 individual Craft Unions that combine to represent10,000 Members.

"I am ‘happy’ that this order creates more 'on ramps' into the Trades for diverse populations as well as for younger people, and ‘is consistent with our mission to ensure decent wages, quality working conditions and equal opportunity for all,’" Brown said.

Labor Market Studies of the Buffalo-Niagara Region indicate that 20% of the total current jobs in the market (137,000 jobs) will be impacted by retirements in the next 10 years, affecting $6.9 billion in wages - but there currently are not enough unemployed and emerging Workers to fill those jobs.  In addition, 132,100 potential Workers in the market are underemployed and searching for opportunities to better utilize their skills.

While unemployment in Erie County as a whole is comparable to other metropolitan regions in the United States, the Unemployment Rate within certain zip codes located in Erie County is as high as 21.7% and the poverty rate as high as 44.7% - these zip codes are among the 16 targeted for attention by the Executive Order.

Individuals residing in those zip codes and disadvantaged Workers, already facing challenges in securing meaningful employment and experiencing higher rates of unemployment themselves, will have opportunities to secure employment on county-bid projects for which they meet qualifications.

Only 58% of the population in the Buffalo-Niagara market is currently employed or actively seeking work, leaving 42% out of the Labor Force.

The order, which will affect contracts involving expenditures greater than $250,000 – which began on October 1st, identifies a disadvantaged Worker as a county resident who has a household income below 50% of the Area Median Income ("AMI"), or has been released from prison within the last 10 years, or participates in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, or participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or has been unemployed for at least 12 consecutive months.

Applicable zip codes for consideration will be determined annually by the Erie County Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and will be provided to potential contractors in all requests for bids documents.

Construction projects funded wholly or in part by Federal Highway Administration funds are exempt from the Order.

Construction projects initiated in the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning Division of Sewer Management must be compliant with the order by April 2018.

To Read This Press Release From The Erie County Executive’s Office In Its Entirety, Go To: http://www2.erie.gov/exec/index.php?q=press/first-source-policy-brings-employment-opportunities-erie-county-residents.  And The Executive Order Can Be Read Here.