Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements, Local Hire Mandates and More
On February 17, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced it is seeking applicants for the $889 million available through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program to fund transportation projects, in line with the Biden Administration’s principles for national infrastructure projects that result in good-paying jobs, improve safety, apply transformative technology, and explicitly address climate change and racial equity. The Administration announced it will evaluate INFRA projects on two additional criteria 1) climate change and environmental justice, and 2) racial equity and reducing barriers to opportunity. New consideration has been given to project labor agreements and local hiring as important aspects of economic vitality and innovative project delivery. AGC opposes government-mandated PLAs and local hiring requirements on federal-aid transportation construction projects.