Hudson County Executive Craig Guy has signed an executive order allowing project labor agreements (PLAs) for construction projects valued at $3 million or more.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Labor unions built Hudson County, and this Executive Order ensures they will play a leading role in shaping our county’s future infrastructure projects. Project Labor Agreements ensure projects are built on time and on budget by relying on skilled labor, while also guaranteeing fair wages and safe working conditions,” he said in a statement.
“Whenever residents see new, large Hudson County infrastructure projects underway, they can be confident it was built efficiently, safely, and to the highest standard by hardworking union men and women.”
Hudson County Counsel Alberico De Pierro announced that this executive order was coming at Tuesday’s caucus meeting of the Hudson County Board of Commissioners, as only HCV first reported.
A PLA is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between a project owner or contractor and one or more labor unions. It establishes the specific terms and conditions of employment for a single, often large-scale, construction project before it begins.
The previous Hudson County threshold was set at $5 million.
Under this order, any PLA will include agreements assuring Hudson County union member representation on projects, provisions requiring equal opportunity employment for women and minorities, and guarantees against strikes and lockouts.
The order also takes into consideration projects valued at less than $3 million.
“On any public works project that is lower than $3 million dollars, the County administration may, on a project to project basis, after taking into consideration the size, complexity and cost of the public works project,” Guy wrote.
“Determine whether the interests of the County, as articulated by the terms of this Executive Order, are best served by the employment of a project labor agreement for the public works project, unless otherwise recommended by the County Engineer.”
A copy of the executive order can be read here.
