Project labor agreements protect workers and taxpayers

Construction contractors steal wages from workers on public school projects all too often. In Nassau County, a North Babylon company was sentenced in August for prevailing wage theft after stealing upward of $80,000 from workers on projects in Merrick and Oceanside. Its leadership pleaded guilty earlier in 2025. In Suffolk in January, an Amityville contractor pleaded guilty to stealing $6,136 in wages from painters working at a middle school in West Islip. His plea deal required paying restitution for that and $7,244 in wages from two other school projects that were outside the statute of limitations, according to the district attorney's office.

These weren't victimless crimes. They harmed working families, undercut honest contractors and betrayed the trust of taxpayers who expect public dollars to be spent responsibly. Unfortunately, these cases are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a broken system that allows bad actors to slip through the cracks, particularly on large, publicly funded construction projects.

New York can and must do better. That's why the State Legislature must pass a common-sense proposal that would require project labor agreements on large, state-aided school construction projects on Long Island.

A PLA is a prehire collective agreement that sets uniform, enforceable standards for how a construction project will be built before the first shovel hits the ground. PLAs establish clear rules around wages, benefits, safety, training and dispute resolution for every contractor and subcontractor on a project — union or not. They ensure workers are properly classified and paid, require adherence to state labor laws, and create accountability across the entire job site, which makes it much harder for unethical contractors to exploit workers or cheat the system.

Critically, PLAs don't just protect workers; they protect taxpayers. School construction is a major public investment. When wage theft happens, projects are delayed, legal costs pile up, and districts face reputational damage and uncertainty. PLAs provide stability, predictability and oversight that help ensure projects are completed on time and on budget. They prevent the need to spend money on litigation required to clean up the mess left behind by non-PLA jobs, freeing up dollars for the betterment of our educational system.

This matters deeply for Long Island, where school buildings are aging and construction costs high.

Some opponents argue that PLAs limit competition. In reality, they expand it by making the bidding process more appealing for responsible contractors. By preventing low-road contractors from winning bids through wage theft or other unsavory means, those who agree to PLAs compete on a level playing field based on quality, efficiency and skill. They ensure that responsible bidders remain responsible, paying workers their deserved wages while also creating new opportunities for diverse representation in both union and nonunion labor.

Nor do PLAs increase costs. Prevailing wage already sets wages on job sites; districts are just accustomed to paying bad actors who undercut legitimate contractors.

Most large-scale public construction projects on Long Island already use PLAs. This legislation would simply serve as a means for requiring schools catch up to policies proved to work while preventing wage theft. It also increases opportunities for apprenticeships.

The recent DA actions show that enforcement matters. Unfortunately, that isn't enough. We should put safeguards in place that prevent abuse in the first place.

Passing legislation that requires PLAs is a proactive step toward protecting workers, prioritizing local skilled workers and their decades of expertise, safeguarding taxpayer dollars — and ensuring that Long Island school construction reflects our values of fairness, accountability and excellence.

This guest essay reflects the views of Vincent Alu, business manager of Laborers Local 66.