Mayor Eric Adams stated, “If the city is going to build a new library or recreation center we want to make sure those jobs pay well during the day and get workers home safe at night. With more than $7 billion in labor agreements, we’ll do both—all while hiring from the local community and completing critical projects faster. That’s a win for everyone involved.”

Project Labor Agreements are a proven tool for delivering capital projects efficiently, establishing fair wages and working conditions, and creating robust career pathways for New Yorkers, added the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development Executive Director Doug Lipari. “These new PLAs reflect the city’s strong partnership with the Building and Construction Trades Council and solidify the city’s dedication to the future construction workforce through Community Hiring.”

The newly signed PLAs announced Nov. 24 will serve a broad range of city capital projects. The Citywide Renovation and New Construction PLA will apply to new construction, renovation, and rehabilitation of city-owned buildings and structures. This PLA will apply to projects like construction of recreation centers and solar photovoltaic systems for public schools, as well as renovation of water treatment facilities and libraries like the recently announced renovation of Baisley Park Library in Jamaica, Queens.

The PLAs follow last year’s announcement of a new infrastructure design-build PLA and furthers a commitment to establish work standards for family-sustaining wages and benefits, industry-specific safety standards, and training opportunities.

The PLAs announced also include community hiring requirements, which allows the city to use its purchasing power to set workforce and hiring goals on city contracts and provide hardworking New Yorkers good-paying union career opportunities that pave a path to the middle class. Since launching, nearly 100 city procurements—totaling more than$7.5 billion—have been released with community hiring goals. These include construction and building services contracts that require a significant portion of labor hours be performed by people who live in New York City Housing Authority housing or in a ZIP code where at least 15 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty threshold.

The announcement will also create additional apprenticeship opportunities in the construction sector through community hiring requirements and advance Mayor Adams’ 2023 State of the City “moonshot goal” of connecting 30,000 New Yorkers to apprenticeships by 2030. Through a new memorandum of understanding (MOU), the city, BCTC and the Building Trade Employers’ Association of New York City (BTEA) will work collectively to recruit and fill 700 pre-apprenticeship positions with residents of NYCHA housing and low-income communities. These pre-apprenticeship programs provide free skills and training and offer individuals direct entry into unionized apprenticeship programs. These efforts demonstrate the commitment to invest in the next generation of the City’s construction workforce and provide a pathway for career advancement.

Business Manager Paul O’Connor of United Association of Plumbers Local 1, said, “To quote George Meany ‘the basic goal of labor will not change. It is-as it has always been, and I’m sure always will be, to better the standards of life for all who work for wages, and to seek decency and justice and dignity for all Americans.’ This quote is as accurate today as it has always been.”

Mr. O’Connor added, “Plumbers Local 1 and its 6,000 members are honored to host the signing of this historic PLA with NYC. The phrase ‘The great multiplier’ is defined as a factor or effect that causes a relatively small initial change to have a larger, widespread impact. This project labor agreement is exactly that, the great multiplier. It is by no means a small change, it is significant, but its impact on the future of New York City will be even more significant. It will not only upgrade critical infrastructure; it will also build a better New York City and continue to build for years to come. This future will be built by residents of New York City who will be given access into our great labor organizations.”