If your company has participated in a collective bargaining agreement through private or public employment, a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) can provide the necessary stability workers need to establish uniform rules and regulations regarding a multitude of topics that enhance workers’ rights. Typically a PLA is agreed upon between a general contractor and a labor union. Terms of employment, wages, and benefits are predetermined before the project begins. Having a PLA in place is one of the strongest methods used in maintaining workers’ rights and workforce equality.
The Balance of Power.
Understanding labor expectations prior to project commencement is a benefit that can support your labor force as well as keep a project on time and within budget. By reducing the risk of maleficence, the PLA protects workers while guaranteeing contractors access to skilled labor. The agreement is established to benefit both sides of the aisle, giving each party a balance of power and providing clear communication. Working with a union is the easiest way for a contractor to establish clear cost structures while gaining access to a talent pool that is second to none.
Grievance Procedures.
Not only does a PLA protect the contractor’s bottom line, it also provides workers with a clear course of action when voicing grievances on the job site. A grievance procedure is a way for workers to voice their opinions, establishing a regimented series of procedures that workers can rely on if issues present themselves. Typically these procedures prevent common workplace malpractices such as discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions. These mechanisms are also set in place to protect the contractor from having to take legal action against the union as grievances are resolved through arbitration or mediation.
Health and Safety
By utilizing a PLA, provisions are included that highlight and outline safety provisions on the job site such as protective equipment standards, training, and education for workers. Defining these parameters under a PLA provides both labor and employers with well-defined safety guidelines needed to perform job duties by eliminating risk and preventing injury due to unsafe working conditions, contamination, and other safety hazards.
Choosing Union Labor.
In choosing to hire or be a part of a union labor pool such as The Bricklayers Union, you are being represented by an organization that defines labor agreements. By adopting frameworks that have been perfected through decades of trial and error, unions provide inclusive rights and protection across some of the largest labor pools that our country has ever established. It is their objective to represent all parties involved, allowing for the representation and unity of health, safety, stability, care, and devotion.