Norwich ― The City Council late Monday heard from nearly three dozen union trades workers and union leaders before voting 4-3 to require Project Labor Agreements for the city’s $385 million school construction project.

The council’s four Democrats voted in favor and the three Republicans, led by Mayor Peter Nystrom, opposed the resolution.

A Project Labor Agreement is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with labor trade unions that set terms of employment for the project. The Norwich agreement requires the contract manager to reach pre-hiring agreements with the Norwich-New London Building Trades Council to provide local skilled trades workers for the projects.

All major state-funded projects reqjuire workers be paid prevailing wages, regardless of whether they are union members.

Proponents, including all public speakers, extolled the benefits of PLAs, saying they ensure quality work and that projects are completed on time and on budget.

Republican council members cited contradictory studies saying PLAs increase costs by 5 to 12% and cause delays. Nystrom repeatedly said the PLA plan should have been proposed at the start and included in the school project approved by voters in 2022.

The project calls for four new elementary schools, renovating one middle school and converting an elementary school into central offices and adult education.

During public comment Monday, trade workers, mostly from Norwich, said they often drive hours to job sites across the state. They said the PLA would allow them to work close to home, spend more time with their families and spend their lunch and gas money in Norwich.

“Right now, I’m working out of state,” Norwich resident Angel Rosato told the council. “It would be nice to have work close to home, save on gas. Above that, I’ve been a resident here since I was 10, and I would like to give back to my community.”

Frederick Ladd said he has lived in Norwich for 35 years and has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers for 37 years. He said his union trade enabled him to buy a house at age 22, and he and his family have been active in the Norwich community for decades.

“PLAs are not about hiring union contractors or saving money,” Ladd said. “It’s about having an agreement in place to ensure that city residents get jobs, to keep cost overruns in check and to make sure the workers are getting paid prevailing wages.”

Other speakers noted that Nystrom was a longtime union member during his career at UPS. They also recalled that Nystrom supported the plan to enter a PLA if the city obtains a requested $15 million federal transportation grant to build an entrance ramp to the city’s new business park.

The council vote Monday requires the school construction management firm for each school project ― Construction Solutions Group LLC will oversee the first two schools ― to enter into a pre-hiring Project Labor Agreement with the Norwich-New London Building Trades Council.

The agreement calls for the building trades council to “make good faith efforts to achieve a hiring goal of 25% Norwich residents and 30% New London County residents.” The trades council must hold career fairs from 2024 through 2029 to recruit local workers and work with the Connecticut State Building Trades Training Institute to recruit and train workers through apprenticeships.

The agreement does not require all workers to join the trade unions. Union workers must remain in good standing with dues and other provisions. Non-union workers must pay the fee that covers the cost of unions negotiating wages and benefits.

Republican Alderwoman Stacy Gould questioned how the local hiring goals could be guaranteed, and Nystrom said the goals are too low.

Democratic Alderman Mark Bettencourt, chairman of the School Building Committee, rejected Nystrom’s argument that the PLA would jeopardize state reimbursement for the new schools. Bettencourt said PLAs for school projects have been done throughout the state, and the work qualifies for state reimbursement.

Republican Alderman William Nash said if costs rise, given the $385 million referendum cap, it would mean schools slated for work in the later phases could suffer from a shortage of funds.

Even before the PLA discussion, cost concerns are looming. The first new school will be built on hilly, rocky ground in Greeneville while there are extensive wetlands on the next site at the John B. Stanton School.

Bettencourt said the Greeneville site should be the most difficult, and there could be savings at the remaining school construction sites.

c.bessette@theday.com

Editor’s note: This version corrects the description of Project Labor Agreements and adds that state law requires workers on the project be paid prevailing wage levels.