11/15/2024
Historic Economic Development Bill advances; includes language for Project Labor Agreements. PLAs guarantee quality projects on-time and on-budget; providing good union construction careers, living wages and benefits, and apprenticeship opportunities that benefit underserved communities
BOSTON - Calling it a historic moment for workers, today leaders from the Massachusetts Building Trades Unions thanked the legislature for passing the Economic Development Bill, which includes language supporting the usage of Project Labor Agreements on public construction projects in the Commonwealth.
PLAs are utilized regularly in Massachusetts’ private sector to deliver quality projects on-time and on-budget. These agreements establish employment terms and conditions on a construction project. PLAs ensure projects are built by well-trained workers – which means more projects being built right, built on time, and on budget. The bill specifically addresses a public awarding authority’s ability to enter into a Project Labor Agreement and establishes the factors that an awarding authority must consider before requiring such an agreement.
“Allowing public projects to utilize PLAs guarantees fair wages and benefits for working class families and local communities throughout the Commonwealth. It also ensures that taxpayer money is spent on quality building projects. With the passage of the Economic Development Bill we can achieve the same great results with PLAs on state and municipal projects all across the Commonwealth,” said Frank Callahan, President of Massachusetts Building Trades Unions.
The success of project labor agreements was evident at last week’s topping off ceremony for the Holyoke Veteran’s Home. In 2021, the legislature included a provision that the Holyoke Veteran’s Home be built under a project labor agreement. Today the project is significantly ahead of schedule, on-budget while meeting or exceeding workforce goals for women, people of color and veterans, as well as MBE/WBE contractors.
Local examples of the success of PLA’s are clear. In addition to being on-time and on-budget, the rebuilding of the UMass Boston campus under a PLA guaranteed not only jobs but comprehensive apprenticeship training and good-paying union careers for hundreds of women and people of color. The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, specially built to service the emerging offshore wind industry, was built with a diverse local union workforce under the terms of a PLA.
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