Construction workers living in Merced will get higher wages and shorter commutes through a contract recently approved by the Merced City Council.

“These are life-changing opportunities,” said Will Kelly, executive director of the National Valley Labor Federation, a collective of unions representing more than 75,000 public service employees in the health care, construction and education sectors. . “It’s a path to a prosperous wage, a family-sustaining job that doesn’t require a college degree.”

Under the Project Labor Agreement, construction workers in Merced get priority on contracts worth at least $1 million. Workers said it would be helpful to have more local work because it would reduce their need to travel to the Bay Area for work. The average daily commute is approximately four hours round trip, which impacts the time they spend in their communities and with their families.

“I grew up here, I went to school here,” Francisco González, 33, told council members. during public comment. “I’ve been driving to the Bay Area for 10 years and I get up at two in the morning to get ready.” Gonzalez told the Merced Sun-Star that the only thing he wants after a long day installing insulation in buildings is to see his wife and two children. Instead, drive two hours back home: three hours if traffic is heavy and five hours if it’s a holiday weekend.

The issue moved higher on the agenda after union workers at the Oct. 21 meeting said they needed to get up early to travel to the Bay Area for work.

“Everyone who stood up and said they were very tired and wanted to spend time with their family said they were Merced residents,” Councilwoman Bertha Pérez said before voting in favor of the agreement. “They are here. “They have my support.”