Activism

Council Establishes Task Force to End Racially Inequitable Employment on City Construction Projects

Established by a unanimous vote of Council members at their October 5 meeting, the task force will be composed of members of the building trades and those who have been excluded from the unions and good-paying construction jobs, as well as representatives of agencies and community organizations that have a stake in the outcome of these discussions.

Published

5 years ago

November 14, 2021

Ken Epstein

The work of the task force will not be easy. Participants must design proposals that undo the historic job discrimination that dominates the construction industry, which has long been protected by the building trades unions nationally and locally.

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland City Council is taking steps to implement a new report calling for the end of racially inequitable employment on construction projects by setting up a task force that is expected to come up with proposals to require steadily increasing equity in hiring for building projects that are funded by city money.

The report comes in the wake of the building trade unions’ request for a citywide Project Labor Agreement (PLA) that would guarantee that most city construction jobs would go to members of their unions.

The council’s policy goal is to produce equity in city-funded construction employment. Of the unions that reported, 2% of current union members are female, and 5% are Black.

The task force is scheduled to meet for about three months and to report back to the City Council in January with its conclusions or to inform the Council how it is progressing. Meetings of the task force will be open to the public.

“The City of Oakland’s commitment to embed ‘fair and just’ into all the city does calls for reframing of building trades agreements to address the historical exclusion of Black, indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and women from building trade union membership and employment,” stated a report submitted to the City Council by Darlene Flynn, director of the city’s Department of Race and Equity.

“It will require a completely redesigned approach that assigns shared responsibilities to begin to reverse over 150 years of exclusionary history and its impacts,” the report said.

In her verbal report to Council members, Flynn said the written report to the council was difficult to produce because information was hard to obtain. Ultimately, 10 of 28 building trades unions submitted data on gender, race and ethnicity of their members.

“We’ve been working on this a couple of years to get to this point,” she said. “It’s been difficult to move the equity conversation forward because of the lack of information and data.”

Though difficult, obtaining data is key, she said.

“We use racial disparity data to start our conversation,” Flynn said. “Unemployment for Black residents nationally and in Oakland is always twice that of what it is for white residents. Unemployment for Latinos in the Oakland area runs about 1.5 times as high as white residents. These are the disparities that, over time, we want to close.”

Previous Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) have focused on the interest of labor, “which are very important,” Flynn said, but they neglected workforce equity. Now, the city can use a PLA “to advance workforce equity.

Looking at long-term job discrimination, Flynn said, “There has been no meaningful increase in the representation of Black workers in the building trades to date. This is not particular to Oakland; it is historic and embedded in the industry.

“We know we have to remove structural practices and barriers to inclusive opportunities for historically underrepresented groups in trades journey-level (jobs). It’s embedded as systemic racism and sexism are in our history and our institutions.”

Flynn emphasized that intentional equity work is the priority. “As a prerequisite for a PLA, (we must) do equity work first and then design and prepare the way for PLA workforce equity proposals.”

“This is an opportunity to do something very different as opposed to tweaking around the edges. Small changes are not going to make big outcomes,” she said, emphasizing that policies need to be stronger, and they need to be enforced.

Part of the change must be to educate workers on construction jobs to end racial and gender harassment against Black and women workers, Flynn said. “This is always part of change and culture shift from one reality to another.”

Councilmember Carroll Fife underscored the seriousness of the work the Council was undertaking.

“This conversation is painful for so many reasons,” Fife said. “This is going to be challenging for all of us because we have to course-correct where things have not been equitable historically, specifically for Black folks. And we have got to be honest about that.”

This is the second of a series of articles on Project Labor Agreements and racial equity analysis.

Ken Epstein

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Activism

‘Hire Oakland’ Job Fair Draws 2,000, Connecting Residents to Immediate Job Opportunities

Oakland’s Hire Oakland job fair, hosted by Mayor Barbara Lee’s office, connected over 2,000 job seekers with employers, highlighting a strong demand for quality jobs and career pathways in the city.

Published

21 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Left to right: Yawo Tekpa, OPIC Manager, One Stop Operator; Sofia Navarro, Deputy City Administrator; and Ray Lankford, CEO of the Oakland Private Industry Council. Photo by Jonathan Fitness Jones.

By Post Staff

The Office of Mayor Barbara Lee, in partnership with the City of Oakland and regional employers, hosted a successful Hire Oakland job fair this week at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, bringing together job seekers and employers for a day focused on opportunity, connection, and economic mobility.

With more than 2,000 RSVPs, the event on Wednesday reflected strong demand across Oakland for access to quality jobs and career pathways. Attendees participated in on-site recruitment, application support, and hands-on workshops designed to help job seekers navigate hiring processes and prepare for interviews.

Over the course of the day, employers and community partners engaged directly with residents in a welcoming, high-energy environment centered on opportunity and hope. Participating employers included EBMUD, Samuel Merritt University, the City of Oakland, BART, PG&E, AC Transit, East Bay Regional Parks District, Southwest Airlines, FedEx, and many others offering immediate openings and career pathways across sectors.

Workforce development partners Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) and Lao Family Community Development provided connections to résumé support, interview coaching, and individualized job search assistance throughout the event.

The strong turnout underscores a clear reality: Oakland residents are eager for pathways into meaningful work, and sustained investment in youth and workforce programs is essential.

That is why Mayor Lee has prioritized relaunching the Oakland Police Cadet Program and the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP)—ensuring young people have early access to paid work experience, mentorship, and long-term career pathways, according to a City press statement.

“The turnout shows what we already know—Oaklanders are ready to work, ready to grow, and ready to build their futures here at home,” said Lee. “When we connect people directly to employers and invest in young people early, we are not just filling jobs—we are changing lives and strengthening our city’s future.”

The Hire Oakland job fair is part of the City’s broader effort to strengthen workforce pipelines, expand access to good-paying jobs, and ensure Oakland residents are first in line for local opportunity.

About Hire OaklandHire Oakland is a citywide workforce initiative led by the Office of Mayor Barbara Lee in partnership with City departments, workforce development organizations, and regional employers. The program connects Oakland job seekers to real-time hiring opportunities, training resources, and career pathways.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Cassie ‘Mama C’ Lopez Honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year

Cassandra “Mama C” Lopez, a dedicated parent, teacher, and activist, was honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year for her unwavering commitment to community and justice.

Published

32 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Cassandra Lopez, known as “Mama C,” is surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors at Oakland’s annual Mother of Year celebration at the Morcom Rose Garden, Saturday, May 9. Photo by Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon.

By Ken Epstein

The City of Oakland recognized Cassandra, “Mama C,” Lopez – parent, teacher, community activist, and justice warrior – as Oakland’s Mother of the Year in a celebration at Oakland’s Morcom Rose Garden on Mother’s Day weekend.

Long recognized as a leader in her community, she was nominated by District 3 City Councilmember Carroll Fife to receive the city’s 73rd annual Mother of the Year award.

Speaking at the crowded ceremony on Saturday, May 9, where Mama C received roses and a proclamation from Mayor Barbara Lee, Fife said she felt honored to nominate Lopez, an “amazing woman – a hell-raising humanitarian, for the energy, the passion, but most of all the love for community” that makes her one of those “exceptional women whose lives, exemplify love, sacrifice, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the family and community they serve.”

Cassie Lopez was born in 1945 to Pauline and Calvin Weaver, a family that had left Florida and Jim Crow for the east side of Detroit. From an early age, she was instilled with a sense of Black awareness, love, and the importance of community in the face of hardships, including poverty, freezing winters, low pay, and slum landlords.

Fifty-five years ago, she married Juan Lopez. The couple has three children and has lived for decades in a neighborhood on the edge of downtown Oakland near Mosswood Park.

Said her husband, Juan, “Mama C has been a selfless mother of our own children, and she also became a teacher. Our home became a second home for many young people. For some, it was refuge from difficult home situations, and for others, a safe place to hang out.

“Throughout the years, Mama C was sometimes a foot soldier and other times a leader, immersed in some of the biggest national and citywide struggles of the day,” Juan said. “But less known to many is the role she played day in and day out where the rubber hits the road.

“For 35 years, she has shepherded the Mosswood Park and Recreation Center – through its good and bad times. If the Center exists (and thrives) today, it has to do with Mama C, working alongside neighbors, center directors, community advisory council, and when necessary, community coalitions, city officials, the religious community, and the labor movement.”

Said Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon, “I am an old friend of my sister here. We met in 1970 in the sugarcane fields of Cuba, where we were helping the Cuban government harvest their sugar. We have been friends ever since. She has always been someone who does not give in to despair.”

David Johnson, an educator in Oakland, was one of the neighborhood children who grew up in the community created by Mama C and her family

“Cassandra Lopez is a beacon of light, full of compassion. She has dedicated her life to quality education to the poor and working class,” serving for 40 years as a Spanish teacher in Oakland schools, he said.

“She has dedicated her life to speak truth to power, justice to the silent, and as a member of the community, she advocates for programs and resources,” he said.

In her remarks, Mama C recognized the influence and power of all mothers. “Together, we all stand on the backs of our mothers. Mothers play a special role in society. We give when we have almost nothing left to give. We hurt when some people don’t see the hurt and the pain that our families endure. But we keep on moving forward.”

Looking at what African Americans, other people of color and working people face in the country today, she said, “We are deserving of the very best because our hands, our bodies produce the wealth of world, and yet we get the least. We see our country wholesale being stolen away from us, and we are told to grin and bear it. We’re not bearing it; we’re fighting against it.”

Continuing, she said, “There’s enough wealth in this world that there should be no hunger in the world. There should be nobody without a decent place to live. Nobody should be sleeping on the street. Teachers should get the freedom to be creative and tell the stories that exist in this nation that make us strong and great.

“We have a lot to do. We cannot despair. We cannot run. People are learning, and together, collectively, we can do it.”