Organized Labor

Work on $4.3 Billion Project Performed Under a Project Labor Agreement

Several projects that are part of the seismic upgrade work for the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power system that are covered by a Project Labor Agreement with the Building Trades are currently underway in the city and on the peninsula.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and Bay Area and national building trades unions signed the historic PLA in April 2007 for the Water System Improvement Plan (WSIP). Some of the key components of the Project Labor Agreement include a labor peace clause, prevailing wage rates for all work performed, using labor management trust funds to provide health care and pension benefits, hiring and dispatch through union hiring halls, a commitment to training and hiring local residents, and a joint administrative committee to maintain good lines of communication to resolve disputes.

The overall Water System Improvement Plan includes about 80 different projects in Alameda, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Stanislaus Counties and will provide work for the construction trades for up to 13 years. The $4.3 billion project will seismically upgrade many of the pipelines, pumping stations, tunnels and dams along the system's 167-mile long aqueduct that brings water to San Francisco from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park.

The aging system is vulnerable to earthquakes and crosses five major fault lines capable of generating a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. The projects are funded in part by $1.6 billion in bonds approved by San Francisco voters in 2002 – the city's largest capital project ever undertaken.

Organized Labor toured three of the sites in San Francisco in June – the Stanford Heights Reservoir Seismic Retrofit and Improvements, Alemany Pump Station Upgrade, and Forest Knolls Pump Station and Storage Tank Upgrade, with Bill Irwin and Ardis Graham of SFPUC's Labor Relations and Community Programs Division, Office of the Assistant General Manager, Infrastructure Division. The office was created in 2003 to support the Agency's large capital programs in construction labor relations and community engagement efforts.

Graham and Irwin report that the three projects have produced over 50,000 hours of work for union craft workers, including of jobs for local residents, according to electronic payroll reports.

Stanford Heights Reservoir Seismic Retrofit and Improvements

The prime contractor for the seismic retrofit and improvements at Stanford Heights Reservoir is SJ Amoroso. The $25.1 million project has employed over 150 workers, with up to 40 workers a day on the job at peak construction times. It is set to be completed in 2010.

SJ Amoroso's Project Manager Kevin Jones pointed out some of the new structural work completed inside the reservoir tank, including installation of new rebar-reinforced columns, new footings, and braces that will allow the interior frame to move up and down or side-to-side one or two inches and dissipate energy in the case of a strong earthquake. The reservoir has two tanks; work is being done in two sections, with new inlet and outlet pipes being installed and structural improvements in one tank set to be completed and the second phase due to start this month.

The reservoir – which will hold about 9 million gallons of water – provides water to thousands of homes and businesses in several areas of the City. It is topped by a concrete roof that also is being seismically stabilized. Reservoir circulation is being improved with the construction of separate inlet and outlet piping and structures at each basin. The project will seismically strengthen the reservoir by adding frames, concrete shear walls, braces, struts and additional concrete footings.

Other work will include crack repairs, sealing of reservoir roof, replacement of the expansion joints and cover plates, access and water quality improvements for sampling and disinfection, earthen embankment stabilization, erosion control, drainage, repair of existing liner, inlet/outlet valve repairs, roadway replacement, and removal of sediments, disinfection and chlorination upon completion. Security upgrades will include addition of a new 10-foot tall fence and modern security system. Old mechanical and electrical equipment for operating the reservoir will also be upgraded. The nearby Mount Davidson Pump Station will also be replaced with a new facility as part of an additional Water System Improvement Program project. A small solar panel sits atop the reservoir, providing power to run a water circulation rotator.

Amoroso's Jones said that Malcolm Drilling had drilled down 32 feet and installed steel rods that were then precision grouted. He said the reinforced steel structures tied everything together from the roof to the ground, with 20 columns in one tank and 32 in the other. He said about six to eight iron workers were employed at peak construction times. He said installation of the new structural frame was completed in seven months.

The project also included demolition of parts of the existing structure, with 600 yards of dirt and 340 yards of concrete removed. Jones said all the old concrete was recycled. The City requires that 75 percent of construction debris is recycled. He said that in order to keep the tank from being contaminated, the Bobcat used to load material in and out ran on vegetable oil instead of diesel fuel. "We can't have any petroleum products down here," he said.

Jones showed off the new 24-inch inlet pipe that will correct circulation problems from having only one pipe serve as inlet and outlet. Installation of the new sluice gate for the outlet pipe was underway during the site visit. It will regulate water flow and allow water to be drained if further work inside the tank is needed. Laborer's were doing the demo work on the old outlet and installing the new gate. Solomon Hernandez, Laborers Local 261, worked on the sluice gate during Organized Labor's visit to the site (see photo). Jones said that the tank would be filled in August.

Further work underway includes automating the pumps, which will isolate each tank and control water flow. The SFPUC website reported that street trench work near the Mt. Davidson water pumping station near Stanford Heights Reservoir began in mid-June. M-Squared Construction will perform additional street trench and pipe work on Agua Way, remove equipment from the existing station, disconnect water pumps and demolish the building. This fall, electrical wires will be installed in the sidewalk on the reservoir side of Agua Way. The PG&E transformer at Teresita and Agua Way will be replaced with a newer, more efficient transformer, according to the SFPUC.

Alemany Pump Station Upgrade

Monterey Mechanical began construction on the new Alemany Pump Station Upgrade project in the spring of 2008. The target completion date for the $31.225 million project is Fall 2010.

According to the SFPUC, the project will rebuild the Alemany Pump Station and generator building. The existing water pump station facility was built in 1941 and pumping equipment and piping have exceeded their useful life and are in need of replacement. The old pump station was a wood frame construction that no longer complies with building and seismic codes, is inadequate to withstand a moderate earthquake, and susceptible to fire.

During the site visit in June, Monterey Mechanical Project Manager Mike McBride showed Organized Labor and the SFPUC representatives the new generator building under construction and the pump station being built at Felton and Dartmouth streets. McBride said the job started in January 2008 and would take about 385 days, and be completed in April 2009 or sooner. He said there were some logistical problems at the job site as construction of a vehicle maintenance yard and building was being done concurrently next to the generator building.

The generator building will have two electrical rooms with emergency back up for the pump station. McBride said the pump would be installed in February. A 42-inch pipe will run from the reservoir two blocks away at McLaren Park to the new pump station. The original pump station was built in the 1930s. Its three pumps will be replaced with six new ones. They will be 1750 and 400 horsepower pumps with the capacity to pump 17,375 gallons per minute at 285 feet and 2,000 gpm at 354 feet, according to the Resident Engineer Thomas Jang.

Monterey Mechanical is a signatory to master agreements with the Pipe Trades (UA). There are four subcontractors on the job – JMB Underground Pipe, Cupertino Electric, RW Concrete, and Pacific Coast Steel and Rebar. McBride said the PLA was "working pretty well," with all the local crafts, and was on schedule with no disputes. "Having the PLA and prevailing wages works well for both sides," he said. "It keeps everything on a level playing field with one agreement everyone is working under." Jang said the PLA was good because, "It is well defined as far as who is doing what. There are master agreements for each craft." SFPUC's Graham said the labor harmony was important and the PLA helped keep the projects on track. RW Concrete's Foreman Luke Baker noted that, "You get a better level of craftsmanship with a PLA."
All contractors are bound to the terms of the PLA said the SFPUC's Irwin. Non-union contractors can bid on, obtain, and perform the work on the project but they must abide by union agreements, including hiring and dispatch procedures and payment into benefit plans.

About 25 workers were on the job site in June. A dozen laborers, carpenters, cement masons and cement finishers were busy building the generating station while about six iron workers were tying rebar on the pump station wall being erected below at street level against the hill.

On the drive to the next site Graham said that the SFPUC is committed to hiring local workers and bringing in apprentices from City Build and similar community-based programs in Hetch Hetchy's water system service territory. He said there were about 14 City Build graduates placed on WSIPLA covered projects. Graham noted that there would be many workers needed, especially when work on bigger projects such as Bay Division Reliability Upgrades, Calaveras Dam and such as New Crystal Springs Bypass and Irvington Tunnels get underway. He reported that SFPUC is revising and updating its labor projections for the WSIP and will make the figures available to Organized Labor once completed. The demand is expected to be substantial, in particular during peak demand period covering the years 2009-2013.

The SFPUC's Director of Labor Relations & Community Programs Carol Isen said that the construction trades unions had been supportive and helpful in identifying and attracting contractors with the requisite experience to pre-qualify and bid on the large and complex projects.

Isen said the pre-qualification process for contractors "requires a demonstrated track record, a good reputation with referring agencies, and naming of the A-team." She said that pre-qualification creates a level playing field for bidding and is a critical component in ensuring quality work in the field.

Project: Forest Knolls Pump Station and Storage Tank Upgrade

Cal State Constructors (CSC) began construction of the new Forest Knolls Pump Station in February 2008. The target completion date for the project near Clarendon Avenue on Christopher Drive is 2010. The existing building was demolished and a new reinforced concrete building is under construction. The new facility will have two new 40 hp pumps, a sprinkler system, new electrical system, and a new standby generator and encasement. Replacement of two hydro-pneumatic tanks, security fencing and monitoring systems, water quality monitoring and disinfection systems, landscaping and other site work are also part of the $8.6 million project.

Project Manager Vi Tang said that the PLA is working well for CSC, which is a union contractor. "We use non-union subcontractors, but they have to pay union wages," Tang said. Subcontractor Phoenix Electric Is a signatory with the Laborers union and uses IBEW Local 6 members on the Forest Knolls project. Tang and CSC's Superintendent Don Cabianca pointed out some of the work underway, including construction of a retaining wall and installation of conduit. They said work to upgrade the water storage tank nearby at Johnstone Drive was being done simultaneously.

According to the SFPUC, "the tank upgrade will include the retrofit and seismic rehabilitation of the existing 100,000-gallon steel tank. During this retrofit, a new foundation; new isolation valves and vaults, new inlet and outlet piping to maximize circulation, retaining wall, security fencing and monitoring system, and access ladders and safety platforms on the tank will be added. An access road and site improvements including erosion control and drainage, water quality improvements (sampling, disinfection); and cathodic protection and monitoring system are also a part of this project."

Cabianca said three 8-inch pipes would run from the new pump station to the top of the hill where the storage tank is sited. He said CSC was getting ready to pour the foundation for the tank structure. Pouring concrete for the pump station foundation forms and support walls was also scheduled to be done as Organized Labor went to press. Cabianca pointed out the narrow area cleared of trees on Christopher where the new pipeline will go up the hillside to the water storage tank. Restoration cloth and native plant seeds will be added to the cleared area. The SFPUC reported that pipe installation work would begin in late August.

The SFPUC also reported July 25 that the Commission had unanimously approved the construction of the New Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel in San Mateo County, calling it "a critical link in delivering Sierra source water to the San Francisco Peninsula." The Bypass Tunnel project calls for constructing nearly a mile long tunnel to reinforce the current bypass pipeline. The Tunnel Project is now out for bid and some of the nation's leading specialty tunnel contractors are expected to respond near the end of August. Actual construction is expected to take about two years.

Signatories to the Project Labor Agreement with the SFPUC for the Hetch Hetchy projects are the Building Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the National Construction Alliance, Building Trades Councils of San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Benito, and Stanislaus/Merced/Tuolomne/Mariposa Counties. Unions signing on are Boilermaker Local 549, Bricklayers Local 3, Elevator Constructors Local 8, Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, Electrical Workers Locals 6, 332, 595, 617 and 684, Heat and Frost Local 16, Iron Workers Locals 377, 378 and 155, Operating Engineers Local 3, Cement Masons Locals 66 and 300, Plumbers Locals 38, 342, 393, 442, 467 and 483, Roofers Locals 40, 81 and 95, Sheet Metal Workers Locals 104 and 162, and Teamsters Local 853.