{"id":22739,"date":"2023-09-13T03:37:24","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T07:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=22739"},"modified":"2023-09-13T06:41:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T10:41:20","slug":"controversial-pro-union-ordinance-passes-in-brick-amidst-heavy-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2023\/09\/controversial-pro-union-ordinance-passes-in-brick-amidst-heavy-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Controversial Pro-Union Ordinance Passes in Brick Amidst Heavy Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Supporters<\/a>

Supporters of a Project Labor Agreement ordinance pack the council chambers in Brick Township, Sept. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Brick Township council adopted, in a 6-0 vote \u2013 with one abstention \u2013 a Project Labor Agreement ordinance, which will allow only certain union-affiliated firms to bid on contracts in town worth more than $5 million.<\/p>\n

The PLA ordinance, as it is known, also comes with a slew of mandates for contractors and has been cited in numerous studies as increasing the cost of public construction projects by about 30 percent. Its proponents hold that pre-construction labor union agreements provide apprenticeship and other programs that ensure a higher level of job safety, requirements that local residents are trained and hired for projects as opposed to out-of-state workers, as well as offer better pay and benefits for workers. Detractors have derided the policies as wasteful influxes of money to politically-connected labor organizations that steer work away from local contractors, minority-owned companies and start-ups that cannot afford to comply with dozens of regulations and work rules that will be required on every such project. A copy of the ordinance and various documentation on costs appears at the end of this story and in a previous story<\/a> Shorebeat published on the matter.<\/p>\n

The PLA ordinance affects only public projects worth more than $5 million. Private construction projects are not affected by the ordinance, nor are municipal projects that do not meet the $5 million threshold. At the moment, there are no public projects in Brick that exceed the $5 million price tag, nor have there been in many years.<\/p>\n

The municipal building was packed Tuesday night with supporters wearing pro-union tee shirts and carrying signs. There was little in the way of organized opposition. No members of Brick Township\u2019s Republican party spoke during a public hearing on the ordinance, including the candidates currently running for mayor and council. An attorney from the firm of Fox Rothschild, a powerful Philadelphia-based law firm that handles real estate, construction and labor issues, spoke briefly on specific language included in the ordinance, but did not identify his client.<\/p>\n

Opposition also came from Samantha DeAlmeida, CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Jersey, which represents small construction businesses and merit shops with their own apprenticeship programs. She said her organization boasts 21 members in Brick that would now be locked out of bidding on large-scale public contracts.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaxpayers will pay the burden of the cost, and taxes will increase,\u201d said DeAlmeida.<\/p>\n

John Gonzalez, another township resident who said he is a member of the local laborers\u2019 union, said his career choice allows him to resident in Brick in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201d I don\u2019t just have a job, I have a career that will enable me to retire with dignity one day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rocco Lapore, another township resident who said he served as an official with the carpenters\u2019 union, said he and his colleagues are \u201cthe safest, most professional and most dedicated workers in New Jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal projects should be built by local workers, and we\u2019re fortunate to have some of these people here today,\u201d he said. \u201cA PLA opens the door to a new generation of local workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brick\u2019s ordinance, now adopted, would guarantee that many of the jobs that are produced in a major construction project flow to Brick residents through specific labor organizations selected by the township council. The ordinance would require that 20 percent of the labor hours required as a whole as part of a project are reserved for Brick residents, and 100 percent of the apprentices hired are Brick residents. But contractors would also have to manage apprentice programs with significant state monitoring and data collection requirements, which opponents say is beyond the capabilities of small business owners.<\/p>\n

Some residents said the ordinance would reduce competition for the projects that would ultimately cost taxpayers the most.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is going to bid on these jobs, based on all the requirements?\u201d asked resident Vic Fanelli, who said he once served as a shop steward in a union during his career as an aircraft mechanic. \u201cWho in their right mind is going to bid on a contract in Brick? Are you kidding me? It\u2019s almost like, \u2018why are you doing this?\u2019 All this talk about bringing small businesses into Brick \u2013 I think this is going to have the opposite effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another resident whose name was inaudible agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that it should be pointed out that all bidders must be qualified to bid,\u201d union or not, she said. \u201cThis would limit the work over $5 million to only union workers. You\u2019re going to get the best work from the most qualified people when you open it up to everybody. I think it\u2019s important to recognize those people and consider that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another resident asked, with no big-ticket projects on the horizon, what prompted the council to consider such an ordinance now? The question was not answered, though some in Brick government have quietly surmised that the PLA ordinance is seen by some as a way for incumbent Democrats to curry favor with labor organizations in the run-up to November\u2019s major election, which will determine the council majority and control of the mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

After about an hour of back-and-forth debate, the council voted 6-0 to adopt the PLA ordinance. All six Democratic members of the council voted in favor of the ordinance, while the lone Republican member of the council, Perry Albanese, abstained from voting. He did not provide a reason for his abstention.<\/p>\n

Before casting her vote, Councilwoman Marianna Pontoriero, an attorney, said the ordinance is important for a \u201cblue collar town\u201d like Brick, in order to give more workers local job opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have almost all blue collar families and citizens,\u201d said Pontoriero. \u201cI consider this one of the top five most important ordinances I\u2019ve dealt with in a decade over the council.\u201d<\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

Read the Ordinance:<\/strong><\/p>\n