NEWS RELEASE: High-Speed Rail Celebrates Creating 3,000 Construction Jobs

Aug 28 2019 | Fresno

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) has reached another historic milestone coinciding with the 125th anniversary of Labor Day – the creation of more than 3,000 jobs across 119 miles of construction in the Central Valley.

In partnership with local trade unions, the State Building and Construction Trades Council and the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board, the Authority is proud to work alongside such skilled trades people including operating engineers, electricians, laborers, cement masons, ironworkers and others who are helping bring the nation’s first high-speed rail system to life while contributing to the local economy across five counties

“Labor Day is the celebration of the American worker and the impact they make on society. This Labor Day, we salute the 3,000 men and women who have worked to construct the most transformative transportation project in the nation,” said Authority CEO Brian Kelly. “We wouldn’t be where we are without our skilled labor force on the ground making high-speed rail a reality in California today.”

“At the groundbreaking ceremony for High-Speed Rail in Fresno, I spoke and made a commitment that we would be using the workforce of the central valley and giving apprenticeship opportunities to disadvantaged residents. The High-Speed Rail Authority and the contractors on this project have absolutely lived up to that commitment,” said State Building and Construction Trades Council of California President Robbie Hunter. “On this Labor Day weekend, we recognize the milestone of the 3000th worker dispatched to the High-Speed Rail project to bring efficient and clean mass transit to the state of California.”

Since the beginning of the high-speed rail project, the Authority has worked to ensure jobs created on the project benefit disadvantaged areas through the execution of a Community Benefits Agreement. The agreement includes a Targeted Worker Program that requires 30 percent of all project work hours be performed by individuals who come from disadvantaged communities where household income ranges from $32,000 to $40,000 annually.

“As work continues to increase and the number of job sites grows, so will the need for a skilled workforce,” said Central Valley Regional Director Diana Gomez. “As always, our goal is to transform California’s transportation system, while creating good paying jobs for those in areas where jobs may be few and far between.”

Each of the project’s design-builders is implementing the Targeted Worker Program. Out of the 3,000 workers dispatched to the project, 121 reported living in Madera County, 1,134 in Fresno County, and 227 in Kern County as of July 31, 2019.

The Authority currently has 119 miles under construction within three construction packages. Design-builder contractors Tutor-Perini/Zachry/Parsons, Dragados-Flatiron/Joint Venture, and California Rail Builders have more than 20 active construction sites with more expected to open in the coming months. This work totals more than $4.8 billion in construction commitments.

For more information on careers with the California High-Speed Rail Authority, visit: www.hsr.ca.gov/about/careers/index.html. To sign up for the Construction Pre-Apprentice training program through the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board, visit www.valleybuild.net.