New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Talent Executive Director Doug Lipari announced two major Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) with the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and Vicinity, covering more than $7 billion in city capital projects to build and renovate libraries, recreation centers, clean energy systems, water treatment facilities, and other critical infrastructure. The PLAs lock in fair wages, union benefits, and strong safety standards while including community hiring requirements that prioritize residents of NYCHA housing and low-income neighborhoods, helping connect underserved New Yorkers to good-paying union careers. Nearly 100 city procurements totaling over $7.5 billion have already been released with community hiring goals, and a new memorandum of understanding with BCTC and the Building Trade Employers’ Association will recruit 700 pre-apprentices from public housing and disadvantaged communities into free pre-apprenticeship programs that feed directly into union apprenticeships. This initiative advances Mayor Adams’ “moonshot” goal of connecting 30,000 New Yorkers to apprenticeships by 2030, strengthens the city’s construction workforce pipeline, and ensures that New Yorkers who build the city’s future infrastructure also gain long-term pathways to the middle class.
Mayor Adams Announces New Project Labor Agreements Covering More Than $7 Billion in City Projects to Build Critical Infrastructure and Deliver Good-Paying, Union Careers
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent) Executive Director Doug Lipari today announced two Project Labor Agreements (PLA) with the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and Vicinity (BCTC). These PLAs — which cover more than $7 billion in city capital projects — establish fair wages, union benefits, and safety protections for workers on city projects. They will help connect more underserved New Yorkers to quality union careers and apprenticeship opportunities through community hiring requirements and allow the city to complete capital projects more effectively and efficiently through the use of standardized work rules.
“Under our administration, we haven’t just talked about creating opportunities, we’ve put our money where our mouth is and invested real dollars in real projects and delivered the good-paying jobs New Yorkers need,” said Mayor Adams. “If the city is going to build a new library or recreation center, we want to make sure those jobs pay well during the day and get workers home safe at night. With more than $7 billion labor agreements, we’ll do both — all while hiring from the local community and completing critical projects faster. That’s a win for everyone involved.”
“Project Labor Agreements are a proven tool for delivering capital projects efficiently, establishing fair wages and working conditions, and creating robust career pathways for New Yorkers,” said Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development Executive Director Doug Lipari. “These new PLAs reflect the city’s strong partnership with the Building and Construction Trades Council and solidify the city’s dedication to the future construction workforce through Community Hiring.”
The newly signed PLAs announced today will serve a broad range of city capital projects. The Citywide Renovation and New Construction PLA will apply to new construction, renovation, and rehabilitation of city-owned buildings and structures; for instance, this PLA will apply to projects like construction of recreation centers and solar photovoltaic systems for public schools, as well as renovation of water treatment facilities and libraries like the recently announced renovation of Baisley Park Library in Jamaica, Queens. The PLAs follow last year’s announcement of a new infrastructure design-build PLA and furthers the Adams administration’s commitment to establish work standards for family-sustaining wages and benefits, industry-specific safety standards, and training opportunities.
The PLAs announced today also include community hiring requirements, which allows the city to use its purchasing power to set workforce and hiring goals on city contracts and provide hardworking New Yorkers good-paying union career opportunities that pave a path to the middle class. Since launching, nearly 100 city procurements — totaling more than$7.5 billion — have been released with community hiring goals. These include construction and building services contracts that require a significant portion of labor hours be performed by people who live in New York City Housing Authority housing or in a ZIP code where at least 15 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty threshold.
Today’s announcement will also create additional apprenticeship opportunities in the construction sector through community hiring requirements and advance Mayor Adams’ 2023 State of the City moonshot goal of connecting 30,000 New Yorkers to apprenticeships by 2030. Through a new memorandum of understanding (MOU), the city, BCTC and the Building Trade Employers’ Association of New York City (BTEA) will work collectively to recruit and fill 700 pre-apprenticeship positions with residents of NYCHA housing and low-income communities. These pre-apprenticeship programs provide free skills and training and offer individuals direct entry into unionized apprenticeship programs. These efforts demonstrate the commitment to invest in the next generation of the City’s construction workforce and provide a pathway for career advancement.
“We are thrilled that city-funded projects are being produced with union labor, safer work requirements, and community hiring that will bring good job opportunities to the underserved while upgrading libraries, recreational centers, and other public works,” said New York City Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa.
“Thank you to President LaBarbera, Paul O’Connor and Santos Rodriguez along with Deputy Mayor Carrion Jr. and the whole mayoral team who worked on this project labor agreement,” said New York City Councilmember Julie Won. “As the representative of the council district that is home to UA Local 1 Plumbers, I am always happy to support apprenticeships and the expansion of PLAs in the City, and I will work to make it priority that we get new PLAs all future projects in my district.”
“In order for capital projects to reach their true economic potential, it is critical that they generate family-sustaining careers for hardworking New Yorkers,” said Gary LaBarbera, president, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “PLAs like the ones signed help them to do just that and more by establishing fair wages, safety standards, and community hiring initiatives that boost apprenticeship opportunities and open up more pathways to the middle class. We are happy to collaborate with the Mayor’s Office and NYC Talent on these agreements and our members look forward to being catalysts for these important projects that will improve the lives of countless New Yorkers.”
“It is great that New York City and the Building Trades continue their great relationship with the signing of these Project Labor Agreements. These city capital projects will create more opportunities for men and women to become apprentices in our programs. It will provide them with fair wages and union benefits, making their lives better and providing the pathway to the middle class,” said John Jovic, business manager/FST, Local 12 Heat and Frost Insulators. “I would like to thank Building Trades President Gary LaBarbera and his staff, as well as Mayor Adams and his staff for all their hard work in putting these Project Labor Agreements together.”
“Plumbers Local 1 and its 6,000 members are honored to host the signing of this historic PLA with NYC. The phrase ‘The great multiplier is defined as a factor or effect that causes a relatively small initial change to have a larger, widespread impact.’This project labor agreement is exactly that, the great multiplier. It is by no means a small change, it is significant, but its impact on the future of New York City will be even more significant. It will not only upgrade critical infrastructure; it will also build a better New York City and continue to build for years to come.This future will be built by residents of New York City who will be given access into our great labor organizations,” said Paul O’Connor, business manager, United Association of Plumbers Local 1. “To quote George Meany ‘the basic goal of labor will not change. It is-as it has always been, and I’m sure always will be, to better the standards of life for all who work for wages, and to seek decency and justice and dignity for all Americans.’ This quote is as accurate today as it has always been. I want to thank Gary LaBarbera, the mayor, and his staff for securing not only this PLA but a prosperous future for New Yorkers.”
“This Project Labor Agreement is a win for New York City’s working families. It means more good-paying union jobs, stronger apprenticeship opportunities for the next generation, and a commitment to building our city the right way with skill, safety, and dignity,” said Joseph Azzopardi, business manager and secretary-treasurer, District Council No. 9, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. “I want to thank President Gary LaBarbera for his leadership and partnership, and Mayor Eric Adams for recognizing the value that union labor brings to every project. Together, we’re creating pathways into the trades and ensuring New York’s future is built by the very people who call it home.”
“More than $7 billion in Project Labor Agreements is the kind of big, bold commitment New York needs right now, and continues to prove that building labor in New York City is a solid investment in our future. This deal means faster projects, safer jobs, and fairer wages for the union trades who build our city every day,” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., president and CEO, New York Building Congress. “It opens the door for thousands of apprentices to earn and learn on real projects, from recreation centers and libraries to clean energy systems. This is how you grow middle-class careers, modernize critical infrastructure, and prove that public investment and union labor move New York forward together.”
“The 200+ members of the Building Contractors Association have long found that project labor agreements can benefit all parties involved in a construction project,” said John O’Hare, managing director, Building Contractors Association. “When these PLA’s provide training and opportunities for the next generation of building trades tradesmen and tradeswomen, it adds another valuable component to the agreement. We look forward to working with city officials, the affiliated unions of the Building Trades and the communities who will benefit from this massive and important project.”
November 24, 2025 NEW YORK
Sources: NYC , Midtown Tribune news
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