San Diego Ballpark Builders, the joint venture construction group hired by the Padres to build its ballpark, signed an agreement with the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council and their affiliated unions.
Art Lujan, business manager of the council, said the agreement signed Jan. 14 ensures the project will use a skilled local work force and be completed on schedule.
“This agreement ensures that construction will proceed uninterrupted and mechanisms are in place to resolve any disputes that may arise,” said Padres President Larry Lucchino.
The agreement covers all unions involved in the project over the estimated 24 months of work and includes a standardization of working conditions.
It also contains a commitment to recruiting local minorities and females into an apprenticeship program, Lujan said.
The $411 million ballpark was slated to begin construction by April but lawsuits and two initiatives have delayed the project’s start date. The ballpark was to be open by April 2002, but that date appears unlikely.
