by Sheila Dixon (originally on afro.com)
As director of the Maryland Minority Contractors Association, I’ve seen firsthand how mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) hurt Marylanders—particularly minority contractors.
The members of our organization take pride in their work and hiring process. They prioritize local talent, mentoring younger tradespeople and competing fairly for public projects. That’s how small businesses grow: through hard work, reputation and opportunity. This is done through a competitive bidding process that reins in the cost of already expensive publicly funded infrastructure projects.
That’s why Baltimore City’s PLA for the Water Department’s pumping stations feels like a gut punch. It will shut out companies that are members of the Maryland Minorities Contractors Association, including the workers they employ, and significantly increase the cost of completing the project, risking higher water bills for ratepayers in future years.
Baltimore’s proposed PLA would require contractors to hire their workforce through union halls, shutting out 90 percent of Maryland’s construction workforce, including approximately 10,000 local workers who reside in Baltimore City.
