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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors recently approved its first broad labor agreement with unions for public works projects in the county. Many local union workers offered enthusiastic support for the resolution at the board’s regular meeting Sept. 8.
The agreement will kick in on July 1, 2026, and apply to all projects awarded over a five-year period that meet specific monetary thresholds, as outlined in the contract. San Mateo County has over 100 affiliate unions and more than 90,000 members, according to Board President David Canepa.
The County and Building and Construction Trades Council landed on this Project Labor Agreement, which was sponsored by Canepa and Supervisor Noelia Corzo, to support the use of skilled labor, peacefully settle disputes, improve project safety and quality and stabilize wages and working conditions.
Project Labor Agreements can provide “pathways into the middle class for veterans, women, people of color and others traditionally left behind by the construction industry,” Canepa said.
Corzo is especially enthusiastic about the “uniformity” associated with this “pre-hire collective bargaining agreement,” which, she believes, will yield “predictability” and “cost effectiveness.”
“It means that we won’t have to negotiate one-off PLAs for each project or building,” she said. “Those who build our civic infrastructure will be taken care of, so their families can continue to live with dignity.”
Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, as well as the hiring of military veterans, are other features of the agreement. Employees of a non-union contractor will not be obligated to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.
Projects awarded on or after July 1 with an estimated bid amount of $3 million or more would apply. That required amount will drop steadily, by at least $500,000, over the course of the four years to follow, allowing for projects with an estimated bid as low as $1 million or more to come in summer 2029. The California Construction Cost Index will help to dictate annual threshold adjustments from there.
Past Project Labor Agreements the county has used include the Maple Street Correctional Center and Cordilleras Mental Health Facility.
