Such a change would face final Council approval Thursday, and Gov. Rendell would have to agree to it.
Mayor-elect Michael Nutter appeared to support Council's action yesterday.
"Clearly, that amendment represents the frustration that many of us have felt in creating opportunities for African Americans and Latin Americans in terms of access to the construction trades and participating in all the tremendous construction activity in Philadelphia," said Nutter. "We must create a more diverse workforce in the construction industry in the city."
The very thought of allowing nonunion contractors on a major public works project in Philadelphia stunned longtime observers.
"Wow," said public relations executive A. Bruce Crawley, one of the city's leading critics of the union's efforts at hiring minorities. "Wow."
"This is very encouraging for African American contractors who would simply like not to be excluded from the work," he said.
Patrick Gillespie, business manager for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, said such a requirement would endanger the project labor agreement the 42 local unions he represents are negotiating with the Convention Center Authority. Such agreements are common before major projects - they set the standards of work and pay, usually require union labor, and are meant to avoid job disruptions.
"I wouldn't enter into a deal where it would allow people to work nonunion. What's the point of that?" he said. "To lose the protection of collective bargaining?
"People can amend things there [in Council], I guess, but they cannot amend our world."
Albert Mezzaroba, Convention Center president and CEO, said he thought approval of the agreement by Council should allow the project to move forward.
