On February 26, 2026, the Board of Monmouth County Commissioners has passed a resolution authorizing all Monmouth County departments to use Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on public works projects whenever they advance county interests in cost control, efficiency, quality, safety, timeliness, skilled labor, and labor stability. The resolution emphasizes that PLAs—defined as pre‑hire collective bargaining agreements for specific projects—help ensure highly skilled workers, predictable project costs, and peaceful, orderly resolution of labor disputes. As the resolution states, PLAs “can provide the County of Monmouth with a guarantee that public works projects will be completed with highly skilled workers” and “can allow public agencies to predict more accurately the actual cost of a public works project.”
A key change stems from P.L. 2025, c.327, which now allows counties to use PLAs regardless of project cost, removing the previous $5 million threshold. Departments must evaluate PLA use on a project‑by‑project basis and, when appropriate, negotiate agreements directly or require contractors to do so.
Any PLA must include binding dispute‑resolution procedures, no‑strike/no‑lockout guarantees, standardized employment terms, flexible scheduling, access to skilled labor, and provisions supporting employment opportunities for minorities, women, and economically disadvantaged workers. Before adopting a PLA for a specific project, the Board must publicly justify its use. The resolution takes effect immediately and applies prospectively.
Read the full resolution here: https://tristateinfrastructurenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Certified-Resolution-2026-0199-PLA-in-Public-Works-Projects.pdf
