Deluzio Ensures 28,000 Construction Jobs at Montgomery Locks & Dam Project Will Be Good-Paying, Union, Western Pennsylvania Jobs – Beaver County Radio

CARNEGIE, PA – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that he secured a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the work to be conducted at the Montgomery Locks and Dam. His effort makes sure that the expected 28,000 construction jobs created there will be solid, union Western Pennsylvania jobs. Pennsylvania’s biggest discretionary-funded recipient of federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Montgomery Locks and Dam project in Beaver County along the Ohio River is a critical part of the regional and national economy, transporting around 20 million tons of goods through the river system each year.

As defined by the United States Department of Labor, a Project Labor Agreement is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement negotiated between construction unions and construction contractors that establish the terms and conditions of employment for construction projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received $857 million from the Infrastructure Law to upgrade the Ohio River Locks and Dam system but was not initially following President Biden’s Executive Order to require PLAs for all federally funded projects of more than $35 million or more. When Congressman Deluzio heard there was no PLA requirement in bidding out work for the massive Montgomery Locks and Dam project in his congressional district, he jumped into action, coordinating with the Army Corps, the Biden Administration, and local unions to require a PLA for all of the work on this project. An agreement was finalized on February 22, 2024.

“I’m proud that I secured a Project Labor Agreement requirement for the work at the Montgomery Locks and Dam project, protecting the more than 28,000 expected construction jobs so that they are solid, union, Western Pennsylvania jobs,” said Rep. Deluzio. “When I heard from workers and unions that the work for the project was being bid without a PLA, I knew we had to act to protect jobs here in Western Pennsylvania. Ultimately, we got the Army Corps of Engineers to bid this project out with a strong PLA. This means worker protections and solid pay for workers right around here in Western Pennsylvania—and it also means high-quality craftsmanship on the job. I am so proud that the Biden Administration is helping us make sure that we’ll have good, solid union jobs here in Western Pennsylvania, doing this important work.”

“We have a chance to lift people and communities up, through workforce development, through Project Labor Agreements, and through union jobs,” said Steve Mazza, Council Representative at Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “When we found out that President Biden’s Executive Order requiring that all large projects funded from the Infrastructure Law have a PLA in place wasn’t being followed at the Montgomery Locks and Dam site, the Carpenters connected with Congressman Deluzio who immediately got involved. He was a great help with this, and it is largely thanks to Congressman Deluzio that we now have this PLA in place to ensure that the project is done on time and that it will bring more jobs and more opportunities to working people in Beaver County.”

Locks and dams are critical to waterway commerce and transportation. Activity at the Upper Ohio River, where the Montgomery Locks and Dam are located, is valued at more than two billion dollars annually. Built in the 1930s, the Montgomery Locks and Dam requires modernization and maintenance to meet the demands of modern waterway transportation, and even a one-year closure would cost the U.S. economy nearly $180 million and would require more than 100,000 rail cars or 400,000 trucks to augment the load that would have passed on the rivers. The Upper Ohio Navigation Project seeks to make the necessary maintenance and modernization improvements without interrupting operations. This project also expects to bring more than 28,000 jobs to the region during construction and will continue to support 5,300 long-term jobs after the project concludes.