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The gathered masses were members of the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council — a coalition of seventeen local trade unions. Electricians, ironworkers, bricklayers, pipe fitters. The crews who build the city. Port KC isn’t mainly about barges and grain terminals anymore. It’s one of the city’s most powerful development-finance shops. Under state law, it can issue bonds, grant decades-long property-tax abatements, exempt construction materials from sales tax and structure the standard lease-back deal that makes all of that possible. And when the biggest subsidized projects in town all run through one agency, that agency ends up shaping who gets hired and how they get paid. In August 2025, the group says it reached an agreement with Port KC that construction projects on port property or using port incentives would be subject to Missouri’s prevailing wage and minimum apprenticeship standards. The goal, they say, was to make sure public subsidies also produced trained local workers and career pathways. Now, they argue that commitment hasn’t materialized. Read David Hudnall's full column at the link above.
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