City councilmembers voted 6-3 to approve a measure that rewrites Jersey City’s project labor agreements (PLAs) to require developers to hire union and local workers for city-subsidized construction projects exceeding $25 million. Specifically, the revamped PLAs require women or minority workers who are Jersey City residents to comprise at least 20 percent of the workforce on jobs subject to the agreements.
The New Jersey Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors sued Jersey City over its prior PLAs in 2014, convincing a federal judge that the city’s requirements violated the National Labor Relations Act. City officials maintain the latest agreements will withstand legal scrutiny.
