Pennsylvania’s Construction Workforce Faces Challenges

Pennsylvania’s dedicated tradespeople—like carpenters, plumbers, and heavy equipment operators—are not seeking handouts. They’re simply looking for a fair opportunity to achieve the American Dream. However, Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration appears to be sidelining nearly 90% of the state’s construction workforce, all because they choose not to align with union requirements. This isn’t about progress; it feels more like a power play benefiting Shapiro’s union allies.

Back in April 2024, during an event at a union-related training center, Shapiro instructed state agencies to review all contract proposals to assess the suitability of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). A PLA is essentially a deal between the government and labor unions that mandates all bidders—including nonunion companies—adhere to union rules, hire from union halls, and let go of their own skilled workers. It’s not a negotiation; rather, it feels like coercion, transforming public projects into financial windfalls for unions.

Despite a court ruling in 2019 that deemed the previous administration’s push for PLAs at PennDOT illegal under Pennsylvania’s competitive bidding laws—accepting them only in extraordinary situations—Shapiro has chosen to push ahead. He instructed agencies to evaluate every construction project based on ambiguous criteria like “particular need and urgency” or “the complexity of the project.” In simpler terms, these criteria seem designed to benefit Shapiro’s union partners, even at the expense of taxpayers and nonunion workers.

Fast forward to March 2025: The state’s Department of General Services applied a PLA to a $450 million request for proposals for a joint laboratory facility.

The Associated Builders and Contractors, Keystone Chapter, advocates for merit-shop contractors, sought to stop this practice through legal action. The Commonwealth Court issued a preliminary injunction this summer, sharply criticizing the administration’s stance.

The court pointed out that the Department of General Services had failed to demonstrate that union labor is any safer, more skilled, or faster than nonunion crews, and emphasized that nonunion contractors were not “on equal footing” in the bidding process.

This bravado from Shapiro? It’s leading to delays, legal battles, and unnecessary expenses for taxpayers—familiar strategies in political maneuvering.

It’s unreasonable for businesses to need a team of expensive attorneys just to secure a fair chance. Pennsylvanians should expect projects that are completed efficiently and cost-effectively, not ones that are hindered by politicians rewarding their allies. Unfortunately, it’s not just Shapiro; towns across the state are succumbing to “responsible contractor ordinances” (RCOs), which are essentially false “standards” that exclude merit-shop contractors.

Take Reading, for example. In December 2022, the City Council hurriedly approved an RCO requiring contractors to participate in union-run apprenticeship programs. This sidelined reliable nonunion firms, compelling the city to later waive the requirement due to time constraints. It’s ironic, really. It’s also counterproductive, but it seems politics often trumps people’s needs.

This is precisely why the Freedom in Public Contracting Act (Senate Bill 961), supported by State Senator Jarrett Coleman, is essential. This legislation would prohibit PLAs and RCOs across all levels of government, ensuring that bids go to the most qualified, rather than just the well-connected.

There should be no more union affiliation as a mandatory factor in bidding, and nonunion businesses should not be compelled to support union interests. Coleman asserts that union contractors should be allowed to compete on their merits; merit shops deserve the same chance without being held back.

Union leaders may complain, but the majority of Pennsylvania’s construction workers—those who are building our infrastructure and communities—deserve real freedom to bid without undue obstacles.

Shapiro’s influence on these contracts isn’t about progress; it resembles a soft form of control that suppresses competition and inflates costs in a state already struggling with job loss.