News
1/14/2009
Central & Western Kansas Building & Construction Trades Council and Sunflower Electric Sign MOU
Holcomb Expansion Project will put Kansans to work
Hays, Kan.—Jan. 14, 2009—Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and the Central and Western Kansas Building and Construction Trades Council today announced plans to collaborate on labor agreements for the construction of the Holcomb Expansion Project.
The two entities have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which states that Sunflower will include in the contract with its general contractor and/or construction manager a specification that the Holcomb project is built subject to the terms of the Project Labor Agreement (PLA). The terms of the PLA will give priority to union contractors and/or subcontractors who have appropriate labor agreements with local Kansas labor organizations. The MOU will also give priority for employment to craft personnel residing in Kansas.
“Sunflower and the Council share a common desire to put Kansans to work and to utilize the expertise of Kansas contractors,” said Earl Watkins, president and CEO of Sunfower. “This agreement fits with our desire to not only provide reliable, affordable power to central and western Kansans but also to ensure that Kansas workers have access to the jobs available during the project construction. Both affordable energy and job opportunities help protect quality of life.”
During construction the project will create more than 2,400 Kansas jobs, earning more than $78 million per year and generating more than $9 million per year in taxes.
“Kansas workers are the backbone of our economy so an agreement that puts our contractors to work will benefit all Kansans,” said Rich Taylor, business manager for the Central and Western Kansas Building and Construction Trades Council. “We are always pleased when agreements can be made that provide job opportunities for Kansas workers, but in a time of economic downturn, the agreement is vital.”
The MOU will expire on July 1, 2009, unless the Kansas Legislature passes
legislation in the 2009 session that provides directly or indirectly for the issuance of a construction air permit for the project by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Media Contact:
Richard Taylor 316.265.4291; email: rtaylor@ua441.org
Cindy Hertel 785.623.3341; email: chertel@sunflower.net
About Sunflower - Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is a regional wholesale power supplier that operates a 1,273 MW system of wind, gas, and coal-based generating plants and a 2,300-mile transmission system for the needs of its six member cooperatives who serve more than 400,000 customers living in central and western Kansas. Visit Sunflower’s website at http://www.sunflower.net Sunflower’s member cooperatives include Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Dighton; Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Ulysses; Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Norton; Victory Electric Cooperative Association, Dodge City; Western Cooperative Electric Association, WaKeeney; and Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Scott City, Kansas.
About the Central and Western Kansas Building and Construction Trades Council - Collectively the Central and Western Kansas Building and Construction Trades Council represents approximately 10,000 members in central and western Kansas. Affiliated local unions include Boilermakers Local 83; Laborers Local 1290; Bricklayers Local 15; Operating Engineers Local 101; Electrical Workers Local 271 and Local 661; Painters and Allied Trades Local 76; Elevator Constructors Local 12; Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 441; Glaziers Local 558; Sheet Metal Workers Local 29; Insulators Local 15; Sprinkler Fitters Local 669; Iron Workers Local 24; and Teamsters Local 795.
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