A revised bill requiring project labor agreements (PLAs) on large school construction projects has cleared the Delaware Senate, according to Delaware Public Media, sending the measure to the House ahead of state budget mark-ups.
Related guide: Project labor agreements in Delaware: current law and the 2026 bill
State Sen. Jack Walsh, the bill’s sponsor, framed Senate Bill 272 as a stability-and-protection measure for the workers who build Delaware’s schools.
PLAs offer “workers wages and benefits, scheduling, overtime, and solutions for labor disputes.” — State Sen. Jack Walsh
Walsh revised threshold to $5 million
Walsh raised the trigger for the requirement to school projects costing more than $5 million, up from the original $1 million. He said the requirement keeps the work with Delaware tradespeople, because project managers “will have to hire from local union halls in our state.”
The bill passed the Senate on a party-line 15-5 vote, with one member absent. It now heads to the House for consideration.
A measure with real budget weight
The legislation stands to carry a meaningful economic footprint. The state Department of Education has more than $200 million in capital school funding projects underway in fiscal year 2027.
Walsh pushed back on the central objection from opponents, who argued the bill creates barriers to bidding on public work. He noted that nonunion contractors can still bid, and that workers only participate in a PLA while on the public works project itself. If nonunion contractors decline to bid, Walsh said, “they’re only hurting their own workers, preventing them from reaping these benefits.”
Under the revised bill, a PLA would be required when two or more union contractors bid on a project. If no union contractors bid, no PLA is required.
Project labor agreements set the terms of employment on a construction project before work begins, applying to all contractors regardless of union status, and are designed to deliver schedule certainty, labor stability and a skilled workforce on complex public builds.
READ MORE: What is a Project Labor Agreement?
