Union trades will build Paterson’s new county services complex under a Passaic County PLA
A Passaic County PLA will govern construction of the county’s new six-story government services building in downtown Paterson, where officials broke ground Oct. 13 on the site of the former county jail, TAPinto Paterson reported. County Commissioner Director Sandi Lazzara said building under a project labor agreement will create opportunities for union workers and local tradespeople on a job financed with up to $150 million in bonds and notes from the Passaic County Improvement Authority.
Related guide: How New Jersey law governs county project labor agreements
The nearly 190,000-square-foot building at 11 Marshall Street will bring social services, elections, probation and Sheriff’s Office operations together in one place, with about 500 parking spaces. Leaders of the Passaic County Building and Construction Trades Council and the Passaic County Central Labor Council attended the groundbreaking and pointed to the construction jobs the project will create.
That workforce is ready. The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters counts more than 42,000 union carpenters across New Jersey and the Eastern Atlantic states, trained through the kind of registered apprenticeship programs New Jersey law requires of every contractor on a public PLA job.
Why is Passaic County building offices instead of a new jail?
Passaic County closed its jail and in 2022 signed a shared services agreement with Bergen County, which now provides correctional services for Passaic. That deal cleared the way to demolish the old building. Lazzara said a replacement jail on the property would have cost more than $500 million and was the wrong fit for downtown Paterson. “So we chose a smarter path,” she said.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said he urged county officials in a Nov. 16, 2020, email to rethink the property’s future, and he called the new building part of a broader push to revitalize downtown. U.S. Rep. Nellie Pou, who grew up on Marshall Street, said putting county services in one place will make a real difference for residents who depend on them.
What will the new Passaic County building house?
County officials said the complex will consolidate offices now spread across downtown Paterson:
- the Passaic County Board of Social Services, moving from 80 Hamilton Street
- the Superintendent of Elections plus the County Clerk’s elections and passport divisions, moving from the county administration building on Grand Street
- a new Probation Office that lets the county leave a leased space; Assignment Judge Rudolph A. Filko said the office supervises about 2,000 people on average
- a Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division hub that Sheriff Thomas Adamo said will help deploy personnel and resources more effectively
- about 500 parking spaces for a building earlier county planning documents expect to hold 350 to 400 employees on a typical weekday
How does a PLA work on a county project like this?
A project labor agreement sets wages, benefits, work rules, safety standards and dispute procedures for every contractor and subcontractor on one job before work begins. In New Jersey, the agreement must bar strikes and lockouts, bind every contractor through the bid specifications and require each one to run a registered apprenticeship program. Union and non-union firms can bid, and the winners follow the same terms for the life of the project.
For taxpayers backing the bond financing, the research on do PLAs increase costs points one way: the most rigorous peer-reviewed studies find no significant cost effect.
Lazzara’s focus on local tradespeople also echoes a case trades leaders have made statewide: New Jersey construction jobs should go to New Jersey workers, with the wages and tax revenue staying close to home.
Is Passaic County part of a wider New Jersey trend?
Yes. Passaic County earlier negotiated a blanket PLA with the Passaic County Building and Construction Trades Council covering county public works over $5 million, a deal struck ahead of the jail site redevelopment, according to NorthJersey.com.
State law has since widened the door. A January amendment removed New Jersey’s former $5 million floor for local governments, so counties, towns, school districts and fire districts can now use PLAs on prevailing wage public works of any size.
Other counties are moving too. Union County cut its PLA threshold from $5 million to $3 million in July, a change Anthony Abrantes, assistant executive secretary-treasurer of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said creates “greater access to high-quality, well-trained local labor.”
Public officials planning their next courthouse, school or county complex can find the law, the research and the local results behind PLAs, from skilled crews to labor peace on deadline, at whatisapla.com.
READ MORE: How local hiring on PLAs keeps jobs and dollars close to home
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Passaic County PLA project?
The Passaic County PLA covers a six-story, nearly 190,000-square-foot government services building at 11 Marshall Street in Paterson, the former county jail site. The county broke ground Oct. 13 on the project, which is financed with up to $150 million in Passaic County Improvement Authority bonds and notes.
Why is Passaic County using a project labor agreement?
County Commissioner Director Sandi Lazzara said building under a PLA creates opportunities for union workers and local tradespeople. Leaders of the county’s building trades council and central labor council attended the groundbreaking and pointed to the construction jobs it will create.
Can New Jersey counties require project labor agreements?
Yes. New Jersey has authorized PLAs on public works since 2002, and a January 2026 amendment lets counties and other local governments use them on prevailing wage projects without the former $5 million threshold.
Can non-union contractors work on a New Jersey PLA project?
Yes. Any qualified contractor can bid, and New Jersey law says the winning bidder does not have to sign a labor agreement beyond the covered project.
Do PLAs raise costs on public projects?
No. A research review of more than 20 years of studies found the most rigorous peer-reviewed work shows no statistically significant cost effect from PLAs.
