Skilled labor, fair bidding and taxpayer protection: the case for SB 272
Project labor agreements would help Delaware deliver public construction projects that finish on time, meet strong safety standards and protect taxpayer dollars, William C. Sproule wrote in a Bay to Bay News op-ed.
Related guide: Project labor agreements in Delaware: current law and the 2026 bill
Sproule is executive secretary-treasurer of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents more than 43,000 union members across Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
His case arrives as Delaware prepares for major investments in schools, infrastructure and economic development, raising the stakes for getting public projects right. It also comes as lawmakers weigh Senate Bill 272, which would require PLAs on state-funded school construction and renovation projects of $5 million or more.
A PLA sets the rules for a project before work begins, covering wages, benefits, safety standards, scheduling and dispute resolution. The agreements have been used on large construction projects since the 1930s, Sproule wrote, yet remain widely misunderstood.
He pushed back on the claim that PLAs lock out nonunion firms. The agreements are open to all reputable contractors, he wrote, and any company can compete as long as it meets the same standards for training, quality and workforce experience. Sproule warned that awarding work to the lowest bidder alone invites trouble, because a contractor can submit an unrealistically low bid and then recoup the difference through delays, change orders or lower-quality materials. “Ultimately, it’s taxpayers who pay the price,” he wrote.
READ MORE: Project labor agreements finish public works faster, peer-reviewed study finds
That concern connects to the broader question of do PLAs increase costs, where the research points to fewer surprises and more predictable budgets.
Sproule also tied PLAs to Delaware’s workforce pipeline, pointing to Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers in New Castle and Georgetown and their apprenticeship partnership with the University of Delaware. He argued the agreements expand opportunity for small and minority-owned contractors by setting transparent, standardized rules.
For taxpayers, he concluded, PLAs are “a smart long-term investment in the state’s future.”
READ MORE: A New Jersey town now requires PLAs on public contracts over $200,000
