METRA’s
board yesterday approved award of the construction contract for the $141
million Englewood flyover project to reduce freight train conflicts with
commuter rail operations on Chicago’s south side, after three Congressmen withdrew
their objections to limited minority employment in connection with the
construction. The Congressmen, led by First District Democrat Bobby Rush, pulled
back their resistance based on agreement by IHC Construction/Illinois
Constructors, the winning bidder, to increase MBE participation from the
contractually required 25% up to 40%.
Though
details of the MBE increase remain undisclosed, it is unclear how more MBE
subcontracting can significantly increase the number of jobs for workers living
in the predominantly black Englewood neighborhood. There is no way to guarantee
that the black owned businesses in the neighborhood can find the increased
number of skilled minority tradespeople the Congressmen want, living in
Englewood. As construction on this project proceeds, it will be very
interesting to learn whether the certified payrolls of the participating MBE
subcontractors actually include increased numbers of workers with Englewood ZIP
codes.
