A state circuit court judge is blocking an order by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek that directs state agencies to use project labor agreements (PLAs) when they undertake public construction projects. Kotek issued the order in December. It commits to use union construction labor for the most part when any state agency awards a construction contract or commits funds to a construction project.
Under the order, the PLAs can’t exclude non-union firms from signing on temporarily. The order applies to all projects where labor is 15% or more of the total cost, unless agency directors request an exemption. Agencies were supposed to implement it by a March 31 deadline.
But on Feb. 21, the construction trade group Associated General Contractors led a group of plaintiffs in a lawsuit saying Kotek’s order exceeded her legal authority.
On March 24, Marion County Circuit Judge Thomas M. Hart issued a temporary injunction blocking the order while AGC’s court case proceeds.
