Speaker 0: All right. Thank you. Do a recap. Under resolutions, no items have been called out under bills for introduction. No items have been called out under bills for final consideration. Council Member Cunneen has called out Bill 818 for comments under pending. No items have been called out. Madam Secretary, please put the first item on our screens. All right, we've got it up. Council member each. Please go ahead with your comments.
Speaker 7: Thank you. Council President Gilmore And this bill is an extension of a current executive order we have that protects workers who are doing essential services on city property for things like janitorial, security, etc. to be able to keep their jobs if the contractor they work for changes over as the city periodically rebuilds that work. But it also expands those protections to essential workers in more categories, particularly many of the workers at our airport who do baggage or clean aircrafts or push passengers with disabilities. So all of those workers who really we rely on and we came to understand during this pandemic how essential they really are. They showed up to work when they needed to to keep things running, or many of them lost jobs, as we, you know, dialed down the amount of service we needed in buildings. So in many ways, they were impacted in both ways. These protections are common sense. They are efficient. They help to make sure that we keep the security protocols high and that our city runs efficiently. They're good for businesses because you kind of have a ready made workforce when you start over rather than losing people who want to find new jobs before their contract turns over. We talked about it at length at committee, but I wanted to call it out because I think for me personally, this bill is a sign not only of this council's commitment that the airport and the mayor's office and all the administrative agencies who partner with us to look at all the details. But it's our city's commitment that the important benefits of the airport and the important benefits really do need to flow to everyone. I know we talk a lot about gentrification on this council and we talk about it in the housing sphere. And, you know, really the truth is that a good paying job that you can keep is also an anti gentrification or displacement force. At one point, the airport found that at least about a quarter of the folks who worked at the airport lived in Denver. We know that we're an employer for the entire region and that's a good thing. You know, it's good that we have enough jobs for residents of many communities. But if you think about it, those workers, many of them who live in far northeast Denver, many of them who live in west Denver, they are in their neighborhoods facing those rising housing costs, facing all the other challenges we talk about. And their ability to keep their jobs sustainably is linked to their ability to stay in our city, too. And so I believe that if we're going to be comprehensive, right, in thinking about our airport as an economic agenda or engine, that these policies that make sure that the jobs, first of all, are good jobs. Right. With the wages we described. Second of all, are sustainable jobs with policies like worker retention. And then third of all are just jobs. Right. That they have good voices on the job, are not fired for organizing or for being engaged in activities that are protected, that those types of things are what make that economic engine valuable to the regular people of Denver who may not be frequent fliers. Right. It's valuable to all of us as passengers. But that economic engine piece has to mean something to the workers at all incomes. And so I think this completes the vision. Right, these types of policies that we've been addressing. And so I want to thank the workers who came to testify during committee, the staff and the folks who represent them from Unite Here and SEIU Local 105 And I share this with my colleagues at committee. But, you know, this is a union neutral policy. The majority of workers who are protected by it probably aren't represented by a union. But these are policies that really fill in those gaps for all of those workers and make sure that they're on a level playing field. And so for that, I'm really proud that it's on the consent agenda tonight. There will be no dramatic vote count here, but I thought it was important because of what these workers have been through over the last year, because of how really collaborative and meaningful this conversation was, where all the players in our city agencies and council members and workers where we're working together. I want to thank the airlines who participated in the conversation and gave us feedback that resulted in some changes, but I just thought it was worthy of comment before we passed it along in the consent agenda, I want to thank my colleagues for their support, especially you, President Gilmore, as the host of our airport, been very engaged in the conversation. So thank you to all and look forward to the consent vote.
Speaker 0: All right. Thank you very much, Councilmember Kinney, and likewise, want to thank the folks that are working at it, Dan, and the leadership at the airport as well. But then also, I would be remiss if I didn't thank you for your leadership and partnership, especially in working with Unite Here and SEIU as well, and so happy to support this tonight. It's important and it stabilizes our families in the community and also the airport as well. All right. Not seen any other items called out. That concludes that recap portion. All bills for introduction are ordered published.
A bill for an ordinance concerning non-displacement of workers hired by contractors who provide essential services on city property.
For an ordinance concerning non-displacement of workers hired by contractors who provide essential services on city property. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 7-20-21.