Press

Arena and hospitality unions join HomeTownSD in bringing career-building jobs, living wages and affordable housing through its visionary redevelopment plan for Midway District

SAN DIEGO – HomeTownSD signed a sweeping labor agreement with San Diego unions that guarantees jobs for the current Pechanga Arena workforce and ensures both current and future workers will receive quality wages and benefits. Under the agreement, arena and hospitality workers are guaranteed the right to work protections and a voice on the job.

The pact follows HomeTownSD signing a comprehensive labor agreement with the construction unions of the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council. Of the five proposals submitted to the city, HomeTownSD is the only team to have signed agreements with both construction and operating unions.

Investing in career opportunities for local workers and providing affordable housing at scale are central to HometownSD’s vision for the project. These comprehensive labor agreements are a precedent-setting commitment for a project where more than 2,000 new homes, or 62.5% of the total – are affordable and middle-income. In total, labor agreements covering 26 unions have been signed with HomeTownSD.

“This is the right thing to do for workers and their families,” said Sarah Kruer Jager, project lead for HomeTownSD and Partner at Monarch Group. “HomeTownSD has always been about the community and the people who will build it and live in it. We are proud to partner with these unions to deliver a project that will significantly expand affordable housing, build local careers and drive our economy – proving that together, San Diegans can do big things.”

The San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, which first endorsed HomeTownSD, consists of affiliated construction and trade unions representing workers in San Diego County. Currently, 22 unions representing over 30,000 workers are affiliated with the Building Trades Council.

Adding their support to HomeTownSD are SEIU-United Service Workers West and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

“HomeTownSD creates thousands of good jobs and invests in quality construction careers and apprenticeship opportunities for local tradespeople – all while building more than 2,000 new affordable homes for San Diego families,” said Jeremy Abrams, President of San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council & Business Manager of IBEW 569. “We are proud to support this project and build stronger communities together.”

The 200,000 working families of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council come from a broad array of sectors and professions – nurses, teachers, firefighters, retail workers, truck drivers, construction tradespeople, grocery employees, domestic workers, janitors, stagehands, college professors and more.

“We applaud HomeTownSD’s commitment to preserve good union jobs,” said Brigette Browning, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council. “It’s rare for a developer to make this kind of promise to the people who invest their lives and labor to make this community a reality. Housing costs and wages are the two biggest issues for San Diego workers, who simply want to provide for their families and afford to live in San Diego.”

SEIU-USWW represents more than 45,000 janitors, security officers, airport service workers, and other property service workers across California.

“This is about respect and dignity for the workers who will bring this community to life,” said Christian Ramirez, Policy Director, SEIU-United Service Workers West. “HomeTownSD has demonstrated a commitment to worker justice with quality wages, benefits and affordable housing. This community will be life-changing for thousands of San Diego working families.”

The HomeTownSD partnership, a women-led development team with deep San Diego roots, is proposing a visionary plan to transform the Sports Arena property into a destination neighborhood with a world-class arena with entertainment and housing for all.

###

HomeTownSD is local and women-led. Development partners Monarch, Essex and Eden each possess a unique business model based on stable, multi-decade leadership and long-term investment horizons. Building and sustaining thriving affordable, middle-income and market rate communities for decades is our core competency, passion and exclusive focus. In JMI Sports we have the only arena partner who has developed multiple sports and entertainment facilities in the San Diego market. JMI’s success is built on a depth of experience in conjunction with national and local relationships. Deeply rooted in San Diego, our team is uniquely positioned to deliver a visionary community that will stand the test of time.