Politics & Government
Florissant Police Chief Pitches Agreement on Emergency Center to County Council
Chief William Karabas pushes for agreement to get work done on time, on budget.
During the St. Louis County Council’s open forum on Tuesday, Chief William Karabas discussed the importance of adopting a project labor agreement (PLA) for an Emergency Communications Center in Chesterfield.
A project labor agreement involves terms set up before a construction project starts. PLAs, which often are forged with labor unions, are aimed at preventing strikes or alterations in wages.
Karabas, who is the chairman of the St. Louis County Emergency Communications System Commission, said it will take about 12 to 14 months to construct the new facility, which will contain equipment running an emergency communications system that conforms to a looming Federal Communications Commission mandate. He told the council that the building has to be ready in order for the county to receive the equipment before the January 2013 deadline.
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“As we understand it, a PLA ensures that there would be no strikes or work stoppages,” Karabas said. “And if there were jurisdictional disputes, projects would continue without a work stoppage. They also promote safety on the job site, and the process is open to union and non-union contractors, as well as requiring minority participation.”
Karabas said that PLAs were used to construct major projects such as Busch Stadium and the . He said those projects came in “on time” and “on budget.”
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But James Knowles III, the eastern Missouri director for Associated Builders and Contractors, told the council if the PLA becomes “union only,” it would “discriminate against the vast number of contractors and workers in the industry.”
“Contrary to popular belief, the construction industry is mostly non-union,” said Knowles III, who is also the mayor of Ferguson. “It’s easy to look at St. Louis County’s own rolls and see who’s a registered contractor in this county. And the majority—the vast majority—are all non-union."
Knowles III said a PLA restricts the bidding process, which, he added, runs contrary to St. Louis County ordinances.
“It does restrict on who’s allowed to bid on the job,” Knowles III said. “It does restrict who’s allowed to work on the job. So we’re obviously concerned about this.”
The council did not take action on the issue.