Priority Hire is an ordinance that exists in the City of Seattle that requires any City of Seattle public works construction projects of $5 million or more to have at least 25% of the workforce come from economically distressed zip codes, primarily 98118, 98144, 98122, 98146.  In 2017 the City expanded the program to public/private partnership projects with significant City investment. An important but often overlooked element is what is called “acceptable workforce”. It requires acceptable behavior on City construction work sites that prohibit bullying, hazing, and related behaviors—particularly those based upon race, immigrant status, religious affiliation, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This is needed because the construction industry is notorious for unchecked bad behavior on the worksite. We have been trying to keep you informed of progress over the years in part because Rainier Beach was the source of the advocacy and organizing that brought this policy into reality. This policy came from our community. This idea has since been adopted by King County, Port of Seattle, and Seattle Public Schools. RBAC, in support of this work, does outreach, assessments, and referrals to pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeship construction programs in the region. The information we would like to share here are the current construction projects that fit the Priority Hire criteria, it’s likely you have never seen a list like this before, it won’t be the last. As you pass by these sites honk your horn to honor those of us who made this important policy a reality. 

  1. 430 Water Transmission Pipeline Improvements/Seattle Public Utilities, estimate $7M-$14M
  2. Seattle Municipal Tower Elevator Rehab/Finance and Administration Services, estimate $22M
  3. Lake Forest Park Reservoir Floating Cover Replacement/Seattle Public Utilities estimate $6M
  4. Union Street Pedestrian Bridge/Seattle Department of Transportation, estimate $7M; Brace Point Lid Conduit Installation/Seattle City Light, estimate $6.1M 
  5. Overlook Walk/Seattle Department of Transportation, estimate $50M 
  6. Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge/Seattle Department of Transportation, estimate $6.5M 
  7. Victor Steinbrueck Park Renovation, estimate $5M

Work is out there, go get it. Here are a couple of additional reports that you might find useful. 2020 Priority Hire Annual Report 2020 Priority Hire Advisory Committee Annual Report 

We’ve got your back, do you have RBAC?”

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