Project Labor Agreement Signed by Building & Construction Trades and Offshore Wind Developers

The Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (BCTC) and Equinor, the developer of the Empire Wind offshore wind project, signed a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the construction of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which will be used as a staging and assembly location for Empire Wind and potentially more projects in New York and up and down the East Coast. The PLA establishes standards of pay, safety, and local hiring for over 1,000 construction jobs and apprenticeships. Construction at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is expected to begin as soon as next week.

The PLA signing took place at the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center in Long Island City, Queens. Local 3, IBEW Business Manager Christopher Erikson and Equinor Renewables Americas President Molly Morris were joined by White House staff, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, NYSERDA, construction contractors Skanska, GE-BOND, and Nexans, and the international unions affiliated with the BCTC and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) representing over 100,000 workers in the New York City region.

Across New York Harbor on Staten Island, the proposed Arthur Kill Terminal offshore wind port facility also got a boost with a new PLA. As reported on SILive.com, the Building & Construction Trades Council and property owner Atlantic Offshore Terminal (AOT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enter into a PLA covering 750 construction jobs. Arthur Kill Terminal is currently undergoing permitting and financing approval, and if approved, construction is expected to start in the fall and in operation by 2026.