On Tuesday, Toledo City Council voted 9-2 to pass an ordinance requiring all construction work over $100,000 be done under a Project Labor Agreement (PLAs) with the Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council. A PLA is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with local labor organizations, which establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project.
PLAs are effective tools to ensure construction projects are completed in a timely fashion by a local workforce, while emphasizing livable wages, safety, and above all– quality workmanship. Under PLAs the city is guaranteed access to the highest skilled construction workforce, at a time when the Associated General Contractors of Ohio reports most construction contractors struggle to find enough skilled workers. The hiring of a local workforce helps to further stimulate the local economy.
Additionally, PLAs make certain that workers are paid fair wages, receive benefits, and are classified properly as employees as opposed to independent contractors.
Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson advocated for the ordinance. According to the Toledo Blade, the Mayor said the legislation was needed to ensure the city uses a highly trained and skilled local workforce on local construction projects.
Shaun Enright of the Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council is very pleased that the ordinance passed, noting “this protects local workers and guarantees that quality work will be done, to get the job done right the first time.”
ACT Ohio supports PLAs and applauds everyone who made this possible in Toledo! Special thanks to the business managers who assisted, especially David Fleetwood of Laborers Local 500.
