Westmoreland County approves deal with unions for project labor agreement

Westmoreland County's Democratic commissioners on Thursday approved an agreement with local trade unions that demands higher work standards and prohibits work stoppages, which they said will strengthen qualifications of laborers and ensure quality work on construction projects.

The partisan vote to approve a project labor agreement occurred four years after the then-Republican majority board of commissioners dissolved a similar agreement, saying it was unfair to non-union contractors and drove up the cost of work.

“It freezes out the little guys,” said Republican Commissioner Charles Anderson, who voted against the agreement Thursday and supported rescinding the previous deal four years ago. “I see it as unnecessary. It was working pretty well after we abolished it.”

Democrats Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas approved the deal with the Pittsburgh Regional Building and Construction Trades Council. It mandates that contractors hired by the county for projects in excess $150,000 meet a set of requirements and standards for its workers. It includes a provision that companies have apprenticeship programs.

Kopas and Cerilli said there is no provision that requires companies hired by the county to be union shops.

The deal requires union workers to pledge that there will not be work slowdowns or stoppages during a construction job for the county.

“I want quality workers who have experience doing the job,” Cerilli said.

She said she decided to support the agreement after watching the recent demolition of the former Monsour Medical Center on Route 30 in Jeannette. The county hired an out-of-state, non-union contractor to tear down the hospital buildings. Cerilli said the project was beset with problems, ran over budget and is two months late in being completed.

The Monsour demolition cost $70,000 more than the original $1 million price tag, according to county planning director Jason Rigone.

Kopas, who voted in 2012 against dissolving the previous labor pact, said there is no evidence that the new agreement will drive up costs on construction projects.

“At the end of the day, it's about ensuring we have quality workers. It protects the taxpayer,” Kopas said.

During the two years the old agreement was in place, the county initiated only one construction project. The construction of a district judge office in Export came in on time and under budget, Kopas said.

Commissioners declined to release the complete labor agreement, saying details of the deal were being finalized by the solicitor's office.

Pete Gum, president of the Association of Building Contractors of Western Pennsylvania, which represents about 300 non-union labor firms, said his members oppose the agreement.

He said his members will explore filing a lawsuit to challenge implementation of Westmoreland's agreement.

“Project labor agreements are discriminatory to non-union contractors,” Gum said.

He said that while similar deals approved by governmental bodies across the country include different standards, most have driven up construction costs by as much as 18 percent. Gum conceded he had no information about the requirements in Westmoreland County's agreement.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.