Workers and regional business owners rallied at Leg Hall ahead of the Senate Labor Committee’s hearing on SB 272 Thursday, largely to push back on the possibility of state mandated project labor agreements.
Groups opposed to the bill said a majority of construction workers in the state are non-union, and government mandated collective bargaining on the terms and conditions of employment for a project will harm competition.
But Eddie Lesniczak, vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local chapter, agreed with the bill's premise that public works projects with Delaware's public schools include a project labor agreement
He said working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and within these contracts offers professional protection.
"Everything that we do, everywhere we go, we have our set rate," he said. "...The non-union has different scales, they break it up. And we're out here fighting for the men. Believe it or not, these guys that are against it, we're actually out here trying to help them."
The bill would mandate project labor agreements on public school construction projects priced above $1 million dollars. The bill stands to have sizable economic weight, as the state allocates millions of dollars to capital projects at its public schools every year.
Senate Bill 272 sponsor, Democrat Jack Walsh worked as an electrician and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He said PLAs build workforce standards by requiring participation in union health care, pension, and welfare funds while workers participate on PLA projects.
A month ago, the senate labor committee advanced a similar measure, Senate Bill 241. It would have required a PLA agreement on on public works project costing more than $5 million. But Walsh said he’s moving forward with SB 272 focusing on school projects as an alternative.
Republican State Senator Bryant Richardson told Walsh during committee that he doubts the professed benefits of PLAs. Richardson said a majority of local contracting businesses are non-union shops, and the bill stands to hurt their operations.
"If this bill raises costs, limits competition, excludes most workers, why pass it?" he asked. "Who benefits; taxpayers, or narrow special interest?"
Walsh responded:
"I don't think this is going to increase costs, as I testified," he said. "And studies that I've seen, there's studies on both sides. But again, this is about dignity for construction workers."
The bill cleared the Senate Labor committee and heads to the Sente floor for consideration.
According to federal labor data, the state’s Mining, Logging, and Construction employment numbers grew from 24.3 thousand people in January 2025 to 25 thousand people this year.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities remained steadier, moving from 90.5 to 90.8 thousand people in the same period.
