State legislator pitches revival of PLAs for public projects

Freshman Rep. Joan Fitzgerald wants to allow the state and local governments to require project labor agreements in the construction bidding process once again.

The Fort Atkinson Democrat proposed earlier this month a bill that would repeal Wisconsin’s 2017 Act 3, which banned state and local governments from requiring project bidders enter into an agreement with labor unions. The proposal is still being circulated for co-sponsorship, so it doesn’t yet have an official bill number.

Her proposal is one in a four-bill “Build A Stronger Wisconsin” package legislative Democrats announced Sept. 4, which also includes proposals to restore prevailing wage, change worker classification laws and repeal the state’s right-to-work law.

Fitzgerald, a former teacher for 33 years, said her background and involvement in her teacher union drew her to the project labor agreement issue.

“With this one specifically, the project labor agreements, I think the important part of it, especially in my district: I hear from townships and the cities and villages, you know, they’re struggling to get projects done,” she said. “And, you know, things are expensive. And from everything I know about project labor agreements, they’re a great way to get public projects done on budget and on time. And I think that’s what townships really want and need when we’re doing these public projects.”

John Schulze, lead of government relations for Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, argued projects would be more likely to increase in costs should the state and local governments require union contracts.

Since current law does allow the state and municipalities to accept bids from bidders with project labor agreements, as well as bids from non-union shops, the pool of competition is larger, Schulze said.

He pointed out that data from the Union Membership and Coverage Database shows more than 80% of construction workers in the country are not union members.

“If you allow municipalities to require project labor agreements, by definition you’re excluding eight of the 10 workers in Wisconsin, and that’s less competition for projects, which means costs go up,” he said.

Wisconsin Building Trades Council Executive Director Emily Pritzkow on the other hand argued project labor agreements help ensure projects stick to a building timeline, stay on budget, guarantee funding stays in a community and maintain safety standards.

“The bill itself will restore Wisconsin’s ability to use the tools of PLAs back to Wisconsin governments,” Pritzkow said. “This is not about ideology. It’s about results. It’s about accountability.”

She added it’s a “win, win, win for everyone involved.”

“And I really do hope that policy makers in Madison on both sides of the aisle will take another look at this policy,” Pritzkow said. “We have a lot of opportunity presented to us here in Wisconsin in the coming years to build up our infrastructure at the state and at the local level, and this is another tool in the toolbox of policymakers to use to make sure those projects are done on budget, on time, and benefit the communities in which they’re built.”

Since Republicans have majorities in the Senate and Assembly, Fitzgerald will need more than just her caucus on board to get her bill passed. She said she’s been in talks with some Republicans about support, but so far none have formally committed.

Schulze said it’s unlikely the package of bills will clear a vote on the floor of the Assembly or Senate, if they even make it that far.

“These four proposals have been in every single one of Gov. Evers’ budgets and they’ve all been removed,” he said. “That tells me the Republican majority in the Legislature does not see this as the solution to the problems of costs going up or a workforce shortage.”