(Photo Courtesy of Conor Moyer) “IBEW Local 103 protestors”

Conor Moyer

Connector Staff

Since April, it’s become the norm to see union protestors lining the sidewalks outside University Crossing. Holding up signs that read “UMass Lowell PLA Now!” and “Cambodian Community Demands UMass Lowell PLA,” the daily returners display their one demand to the university: a Project Labor Agreement. 

Since mid-April, these members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 have been protesting for an agreement to prioritize union labor on UMass Lowell’s upcoming construction projects. A type of agreement that has been surrounded by controversy over fairness for workers and taxpayers alike.

“We live here, we pay taxes here, and we want to work here,” says Ron Loeur, an electrician and a captain in the IBEW Local 103. For Loeur and his fellow union members, the case for a PLA is rooted in job security and supporting local labor. “We want some work with UMass for the future with a big project,” Loeur says, pointing out that many union workers currently have to travel long distances for jobs, even though opportunities exist closer to home. He also sees the PLA as a way to offer new opportunities for aspiring electricians, particularly from Lowell’s Cambodian community. Pointing at three younger union protestors, Loeur says, “These kids could work on the project around here,” highlighting the PLAs potential to foster local union career growth.

Loeur explains that while UMass Lowell is allegedly open to having exclusively union labor for the projects, negotiations are still underway to secure the right price. “They [IBEW Local 103] told me to stay [protesting] with my group until they tell me to stop, soon,” He says.

While the protests and negotiations continue, PLA opponents have argued that the agreements unfairly limit competition on public projects to union firms, driving up costs for taxpayers and restricting jobs for most local workers. With just 12.6% of wage and salary workers in Massachusetts belonging to unions in 2023, the PLA would exclude the majority of taxpaying local workers from these publicly funded projects. Opponents argue that non-union workers, many of whom are just as qualified and licensed under state law, deserve the same access to these jobs.

Moreover, Massachusetts already enforces a prevailing wage law, which mandates that both union and non-union workers receive fair pay on public projects. This has led many to question whether a PLA is necessary, as it excludes a large portion of the workforce without offering additional wage protections for workers.

PLA critics have also stated that limiting bids exclusively to union contractors could elevate project costs, although studies are mixed on these effects. Some indicate that limiting competition may increase project expenses by 10 to 20 percent, while other studies have shown no change or lower costs.

In 2014, a Massachusetts special commission on PLAs found that they can be “beneficial on public infrastructure projects that are large-scale, subject to strict time constraints, involve multiple interdependent phases, and/or may be used to revitalize job creation in the area.” Mirroring these criteria in a May court ruling, a Hampden Supreme Court Judge blocked a PLA for a $325 million water-filtration project in Westfield, Massachusetts, ruling that it unjustly restricted competitive bidding. For a PLA to be permissible, the judge cited, a public project must be of “such size, duration, timing, and complexity that the goals of the [public] bidding statute cannot otherwise be achieved.” It’s unknown if UMass Lowell’s upcoming projects meet these criteria.

UMass Lowell now faces the challenge of weighing these competing concerns. On one side, adopting a PLA could secure local unionized labor in the university’s surrounding community. On the other, enforcing such an agreement would exclude the majority of the workforce, leading to questions about equal access in hiring for public projects. As the protests continue outside University Crossing, UMass Lowell must ultimately decide the fairest option for future students, local workers, and taxpayers funding the projects.