By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-845264.mp3
Mason, MI – The Ingham County Board of Commissioners has approved the use of project labor agreements for certain types of construction projects.
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The commission's 13 to 2 vote in favor of project labor agreements gives the county the discretion to use them on a case by case basis.
PLA's are collective bargaining agreements that set workplace rules before contractors are hired. Non-unionized workers argued PLA's would shut them out of the county bidding process.
Ray Michaels disputes that. He's the president of the IBEW Local 665 in Lansing.
"It's not a union versus non-union issue; that was resolved early on in discussions about the PLA policy," Michaels says. "It's about what's going to bring the biggest bang for the Ingham County taxpayer buck."
The policy will only apply to projects with direct labor costs over $100,000. Commissioners say the county may only have one or two projects each year that would fall under those guidelines.