Opinion ID: 2135209
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the character of the residents preferences.

Text: General Laws c. 149, § 26, provides an absolute preference for residents [13] of the Commonwealth in the positions described. There seems little dispute that a qualified resident of the Commonwealth, if available, must be hired for any job covered by § 26. Although the statute also contains a local preference, the Department of Labor and Industries has chosen not to enforce that provision because of concerns about its constitutionality. [14] The order of the mayor is somewhat broader in its application to all worker hours on a craft-by-craft basis, but rather than imposing an absolute preference it mandates that fifty percent of those hours must be contributed by workers who are residents of the city. To the extent that all workers are hired anew by contractors for every project, these provisions may have little impact on the structure of the industry or its functioning in interstate commerce. In differing degrees many subcontractors do hire for each project. Frequently, however, a contractor will have a regular work crew, particularly in certain specialized fields. If some members of a crew are not residents of the Commonwealth or of the city, it will be necessary that they be replaced or, alternatively, their employer may opt out of bidding on these projects. The defendants acknowledge that both results do occur. The goals of both G.L.c. 149, § 26, and the executive order are to lessen unemployment in the Commonwealth or in the city and to ensure that the expenditure of local funds results in maximum benefits to the locality where the monies are raised. As an additional reason for the mayor's order the city describes a desire to ensure adequate representation of city residents in construction union jobs and a lessening of racial tensions. [15]