Family-supporting Project Labor Agreements, otherwise known as Community Workforce Agreements or PLAs, are a tried and true way of building the basics of America from the Hoover Dam to the Washington Nationals baseball stadium. These agreements benefit working men and women, contractors, communities and taxpayers by ensuring projects are completed on time and on budget, requiring employee training, and encouraging that public investment benefits local communities.

New American Landmark: Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge

A modern engineering marvel, the recently-opened Hoover Dam Bypass is a new American landmark that rivals the world-famous dam itself.  Soaring 900 feet above the Colorado River and built to withstand a 1,000 year earthquake, the four-lane, 19,000 foot long bridge is the longest single-span concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.  

From the outset, LIUNA Local 872 members were involved in building the iconic landmark, collectively working over 500,000 man hours. LIUNA members did a variety of work on the bridge such as concrete work, drilling and blast work.  LIUNA members also did all rock scaling, which entailed securing loose rocks and taking out any dangerous boulders.  If and when rocks fell, LIUNA members were responsible for going into the water to pull them out so as not to disturb the water flow.

The bridge was built under a family-supporting project labor agreement (PLA). Project labor agreements, or PLAs, are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements that establish the terms and conditions of employment on one or more construction projects. They are often used by communities, contractors and labor unions to ensure smooth completion of projects. The $240 million project was completed on-time and on-budget. The project also created hundreds of good-paying local jobs and provided a variety of benefits for the workers, the companies and the communities involved. 

Tried-and-True

Project Labor Agreements have helped successfully create some of the world’s most impressive construction and engineering feats:

• Hoover Dam, 1931-1936

• Grand Coulee Dam, 1933-1942

• Shasta Dam, 1938-1945

• St. Lawrence Seaway, 1954-1959

• Disney World, 1967-1971

• Trans-Alaska Pipeline, 1973-1977

Project Labor Agreements continue to help build America:

• Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in San Bernardino County, CA

• Route I-15 Project, Salt Lake City, UT

• T.F. Green Airport, Providence, RI

• East Side Union High School District, San Jose, CA

• Adriaen’s Landing, Hartford, CT

• Des Moines Event Center, Des Moines, IA