LOS ANGELES (AP) - Labor leaders announced Thursday that
they have resolved a dispute with developers that threatened to delay
construction of a proposed 80,000-seat stadium near Los Angeles that could
become home for an NFL team.
Earlier this month, labor leaders became alarmed after
concluding that certain jobs connected to the nearly $2 billion project backed
by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke might be awarded to non-unionized workers.
Labor trouble could make a stadium project less appealing to the NFL and its
owners, who ultimately decide on possible team moves.
In a statement Thursday, Los Angeles County Federation of
Labor Executive Secretary Rusty Hicks said agreements have been reached on
those jobs for the project in Inglewood, about 10 miles from downtown Los
Angeles.
Hicks said the federation has "reached its goal -
100 percent of our unions have signed agreements for the proposed Inglewood
stadium development. The promise of good jobs - both for the project's
construction and for ongoing operations - is now a guarantee."
"We now have certainty that the project will be an
economic engine for the entire region and help turn the tide against
poverty-level jobs in Los Angeles," Hicks added.
The politically powerful unions had been quietly
gathering petition signatures in Inglewood that could have led to a local vote
on the plan, potentially delaying development of the project and forcing
organizers to invest additional time and money.
Any delays could be costly, with a rival stadium plan
proposed by the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders moving ahead in
nearby Carson.
The developer, Hollywood Park Land Co., declined comment
on the union issue.
In San Diego on Thursday, the county and city announced
they have joined forces in a bid to keep its NFL franchise. Mayor Kevin
Faulconer and county supervisors will together spend up to $500,000 on
consultants, attorneys, bankers and other experts. Voters will eventually
decide whether to back a new stadium for the Chargers.
The mayor's stadium task force is expected to announce a
financing plan by May 20 in San Diego's Mission Valley area.
Under current NFL rules, the next opportunity for a team
to file to relocate would be in January 2016. State and local officials in
Missouri have been maneuvering to keep the Rams.
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