Board of Supervisors approves agreement requiring union wages, benefits for major County construction and maintenance contracts

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today approved an agreement that implements the County’s policy requiring contractors and subcontractors to pay workers union wages and benefits on most County construction and maintenance contracts over $1 million. 

The policy approved today significantly expands the use of Project Labor Agreements, a type of collective bargaining agreement first reached between the County and local trade unions in 2014. 

“These changes will help strengthen our economy and our community,” said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This agreement with our union partners increases the number of workers who will earn a fair wage and benefits. Employers will benefit, too, by having an existing template for labor agreements, which reduces delays and uncertainty.” 

The policy will take effect 30 days after a template agreement is signed by representatives of the County, affiliated agencies and the North Bay Building Trades Council, which represents 18 unions in Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino and Lake counties. It would apply to projects that have completed both environmental review and received project approval. 

A Project Labor Agreement sets terms of employment for construction workers – union and non-union – on certain types of projects. They are negotiated in advance with local labor unions and built into bid specifications for a project. In general, they set wages and benefits for workers, require contractors to hire workers through a union hiring hall, and include no-strike and no-lockout clauses. They may also outline goals for hiring workers from local and disadvantaged communities and supporting small businesses. 

The Board of Supervisors has required the use of Project Labor Agreements on County-funded construction projects of $10 million or more since 2014. The updated policy, initially approved July 18, 2023, lowers the threshold to $1 million and expands the requirement to cover County maintenance contracts. For the first time, the policy will cover the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Sonoma Water and four sanitation districts managed by the County water agency. 

The policy excludes disaster and emergency response contracts and projects where funding sources prohibit the use of Project Labor Agreements. 

The agreement was approved today by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the boards of directors for the Sonoma County Water Agency, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, Russian River County Sanitation District, Occidental County Sanitation District and South Park County Sanitation District.

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Media Contact: 
Ted Appel, Communications Specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org 
(707) 565-3040 
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A 
Santa Rosa, CA 95403