Sonoma County's expanded PLA now includes contract maintenance workers and projects more than $1 million.
Fair wages for more county-contracted construction workers was the goal this week when the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved expansion of its Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with local trade unions.
The revised PLA requires contractors and subcontractors to pay union wages and benefits on most County of Sonoma construction and maintenance contracts over $1 million. The county’s collective bargaining agreement with local trade unions was first reached in 2014—previously, the PLA only came into play in projects more than $10 million and excluded maintenance workers.
“These changes will help strengthen our economy and our community,” said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Board of Supervisors.
A Project Labor Agreement sets terms of employment for construction workers—both union and non-union—on certain types of projects. “In general, they set wages and benefits for workers, require contractors to hire workers through a union hiring hall, and include no-strike and no-lockout clauses,” county officials explained in a statement. “They may also outline goals for hiring workers from local and disadvantaged communities and supporting small businesses.”
Additionally, the PLA will now cover the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Sonoma Water and four sanitation districts managed by the Sonoma County Water Agency. The policy excludes disaster and emergency response contracts and projects where funding sources prohibit the use of Project Labor Agreements.
