With construction projects expected to increase in the post-pandemic world, some minority contractors say two of the area’s largest participation programs may be doing more harm than good to companies and workers from underrepresented groups.
However, union officials and other construction industry insiders say mandates are the best way to ensure the inclusion of people from these groups.
The programs in question are the City of Milwaukee’s Residential Preference Program (RPP) and Milwaukee County’s Target Business Enterprise (TBE) policy, which set geographic or participation goals for members of underrepresented groups who are working on publicly supported projects.