School Board rejects union preferences

Tuesday, March 4, 2003 | 11:27 a.m.

The School Board shot down requests by construction laborers Monday that it require contractors to hire union workers for all of the Clark County School District's job sites.

About 100 members of various unions gathered for the special meeting of the School Board to debate the merits of "project labor agreements," which have been used on construction projects in various states. This is the third time in as many years union leaders have unsuccessfully sought the School Board's support for such agreements.

Under the terms of project labor agreements, contractors who bid for a share of the School District's $3.5 billion capital improvement plan would have to guarantee that union workers would get hiring priority.

By law contractors on public works projects totaling at least $100,000 must pay the prevailing wage, regardless of whether a labor agreement is in place. But with a labor agreement, contractors must also pay into union retirement and health insurance funds, which costs an additional $8.74 in benefits above the $22.60 prevailing wage, the School Board was told.

Union leaders urged the board to support the agreements, saying it was one way of ensuring that local workers whose children attend Clark County schools would be hired first.

The money spent on salaries stays in the community when the workers buy everything from cars to clothing, said Kib Servine, who spoke on behalf of the various labor groups.

"Do the right thing," Servine said. "I happen to believe the old adage that what goes around comes around."

The agreements save millions in cost overruns because the job is done right the first time by skilled workers, the board was told by labor groups.

But contractors painted a vastly different picture for the School Board, claiming the agreements drive up the costs of public works projects by drastically reducing the pool of potential bidders.

In a 4-2 vote, the board instructed Fred Smith, construction manager for the School District, to bring the question of project labor agreements back for further discussion if conditions change. Board members Susan Brager-Wellman and Larry Mason voted against the measure. Board member Shirley Barber was absent.