PLAs

Project Labor Agreements

Codified agreements between contractors and unions that help make sure important infrastructure projects are finished on time and under budget.

PLAs mean the bridges, schools and transit lines we pay for are built by trained local workers who earn a fair wage and go home safe at the end of the day.

A Project Labor Agreement is a codified agreement between contractors and unions on an important infrastructure project.

PLAs keep big public projects on time and on budget by heading off labor disputes before they start. They also keep our tax dollars in our communities while building the skilled workforce New Jersey will need for the next generation.

  • Up to
    19%
    faster completion with PLAs
  • 34%
    fewer OSHA violations at union worksites
  • About
    23%
    of total construction cost is labor

Why PLAs work

What Project Labor Agreements mean for taxpayers, contractors and the workers who build New Jersey.

  1. 01

    Projects are completed on time and on budget

    • Studies show that projects covered by PLAs are completed on time and within budget.
    • A PLA is an insurance policy for taxpayers: infrastructure is built by competent workers trained to the highest standards of safety and craftsmanship.
    • Projects built with PLAs have been found to be completed up to 19% faster than those without.
  2. 02

    More training, safer job sites, fewer shortages

    • PLAs boost investment in apprenticeship training for the next generation of skilled construction workers.
    • Programs have 31% lower injury rates, and union worksites have 34% fewer OSHA violations.
    • Contractors are less likely to face completion delays due to worker shortages.
  3. 03

    More local hiring and opportunity

    • PLAs can increase local hiring and expand opportunities for workers from underrepresented communities, at a time when the industry faces a historic labor shortage.
    • PLAs promote the hiring of veterans and make it easier to hire registered apprentices.
    • Union employers are twice as likely to offer diversity and inclusion training, and twice as likely to have policies to recruit people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Built by local trades

See which council locals work in your county, or learn how apprentices train for these projects.

Find your countyApprenticeship & Training