POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County legislators Thursday heard arguments on both sides of the issue of whether the county should establish a project labor agreement policy for county construction projects.

The Legislature is considering approving PLAs for all construction contracts over $3.5 million with several prime contractors as a way to reduce costs, avoid delay claims and potential litigation.

Speakers addressed the Government Services and Administration Committee with a number of local open shop contractors saying no such policy is needed. Contractors that honor PLAs would hire local union labor. Open shop companies hire anyone.

Sam Fratto of the Hudson Valley Building Trades Council and IBEW said PLAs would benefit the county and local residents.

“What a project labor agreement does for you as Dutchess County legislators is when you put a project out under a project labor agreement, you will know that the workers on that job do come from the local area,” he said.

One open shop blacktop contractor Stuart Petrovitz said he has performed may jobs for the county without PLAs. “I have completed probably 20 projects for Dutchess County DPW since 1990,” he told lawmakers. “We haven’t had a single delay, a single picket line or litigation on any of those projects, not one, since 1990.”

But, another speaker pointed to work at the SUNY New Paltz campus across the Hudson in Ulster County using workers from New Jersey and other areas.