Project labor agreements will be required on all Hudson County, N.J., public works projects valued at $3 million or more after County Executive Craig Guy signed an executive order Friday, TAPinto reported.
The order lowers the previous $5 million threshold, expanding union labor coverage on county infrastructure work. The agreements include provisions for equal opportunity employment for women and minorities and guarantees against strikes and lockouts.
“Labor unions built Hudson County, and this Executive Order ensures they will play a leading role in shaping our county’s future infrastructure projects,” Guy said. “Project Labor Agreements ensure projects are built on time and on budget by relying on skilled labor, while also guaranteeing fair wages and safe working conditions. Whenever residents see new, large Hudson County infrastructure projects underway, they can be confident it was built efficiently, safely, and to the highest standard by hardworking Union men and women.”
A project labor agreement is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between a project owner and regional building trades unions that establishes the terms and conditions of employment before construction begins. PLAs set uniform work rules, wages, benefits and dispute resolution procedures across all contractors and subcontractors on a project, helping to ensure labor stability from groundbreaking through completion.
PLAs have been used on major public construction projects across the country for decades, from highway and transit infrastructure to schools, hospitals and government facilities. Proponents say the agreements reduce costly delays by locking in labor peace, streamline coordination across multiple trades, and create pathways for local hiring and apprenticeship programs that build long-term workforce capacity in the communities where projects are built.
Related guide: Project labor agreements in New Jersey: the law and the 2026 change
