Community Workforce Agreements

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Updated: 2/7/2024

CWAs are a critical tool for ensuring that major construction projects create opportunities for local people and disadvantaged workers. CWAs include language and terms about hiring workers, engaging firms from targeted populations, and other ways to help the community. We have a serious workforce challenge at a time when we have an increasing number of ODOT projects to deliver. CWAs are one tool to build a strong and diverse worker pipeline.

As we moved to advertise our first project that included a community workforce agreement, the Associated General Contractors of America filed a motion for a temporary restraining order as part of a challenge to the application of a community workforce agreement to community benefit projects. A judge granted the motion on Jan. 23, 2024. The motion is in effect through February 27, 2024. In response, we indefinitely postponed the first two projects that were set to go bid since both opening bid dates would have been during that timeframe. Those two projects were:

I-84: U.S. 197 - The Dalles, Rufus & Arlington Bridges, Region 1
U.S. 97: Lower Bridge Way - NW 10th St (Terrebonne), Region 4

ODOT proposes to designate as community benefit contracts, and use a community workforce agreement on, the following projects:

U.S. 26 (Powell Blvd): SE 99th Ave - East City Limits, Region 1, Portland.
I-5: Kuebler Blvd to Delaney Rd Widening, Region 2, Salem.
I-82 and I-84: Umatilla-Pendleton Concrete Pavement Repair, Region 5, Morrow and Umatilla Counties.
U.S. 101: Gold Beach (Rogue River) Bridge, Region 3, Gold Beach.
I-84 EB McCord Creek Bridge Replacement, Region 1, Columbia River Gorge.
Oregon 58: Salt Creek Bridge (MP 42.93), Region 2, east Lane County.

We may also postpone the projects listed above depending on decisions from the courts as we identify the best path forward to ensuring our projects create positive impacts for Oregonians and local communities.

We remain committed to these projects and to growing the transportation construction workforce through access to training programs and career opportunities. Developing and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce is critical to economic prosperity. We will do everything we can to ensure that Oregon’s transportation investments and ODOT projects benefit the communities we serve.

Key Documents

ODOT Community Workforce Agreement (Oct. 2023)
ODOT CWA Program guidance
Additional technical documents including training information, contractor related questions, forms and more.

What is a CWA?

Community workforce agreements are agreements between project owners and labor or between contractors and labor that outline how each will improve the project outcomes for communities. CWAs are sometimes called community benefit agreements.

CWAs are a critical tool for ensuring that major construction projects create opportunities for local people and disadvantaged workers. CWAs include language and terms about hiring workers from targeted populations, and other ways to help the community. We have a serious workforce challenge at a time when we have an increasing number of ODOT projects to deliver. CWAs are one tool to build a strong and diverse worker pipeline.

CWAs establishes targets for increasing the number of women and minorities working in the industry. ODOT’s Community Benefit contracts outline requirements for diverse and local hiring, respectful workplace for all, and specific community needs. Any agreement must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration and the Oregon Department of Justice.

Our goals in developing and using CWAs are:

Grow the transportation system construction workforce through enhanced access to training programs and career opportunities.
Support racial and gender equity within the construction workforce.
Maximize the impact of ODOT’s investments for the benefit of communities.

ODOT’s CWAs will outline requirements for diverse and local hiring, respectful workplace for all, and specific community needs. Contractors and unions will receive support, training, and resources from the Office of Equity & Civil Rights.

The Office of Equity & Civil Rights will provide updates and quarterly reports on pilot project progress and program implementation to all interested parties.

Background

ODOT established an advisory group of interested people from the contracting community, labor, workforce, local partners, and community to advise on the elements ODOT should consider for its CWA. The committee met from October 2021 through mid-2022. The input received from ODOT’s advisory group informed the discussion the Oregon Transportation Commission had on this topic. The negotiating parties and signatories for our master CWA are labor and ODOT (owner). Any agreement must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration and the Oregon Department of Justice.

Two women working