Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Agreements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Goleta council approves project‑specific labor agreement for Fire Station 10 construction
Summary
The council voted unanimously to authorize a project labor agreement (PLA) covering construction of Fire Station 10, setting a five‑year term, local hire goals and core‑worker provisions; unions will ratify before final execution by the city manager.
The Goleta City Council on July 15 approved a project‑specific project labor agreement (PLA) that will apply to the construction of Fire Station 10.
Councilmember Cariaco moved approval of the PLA and authorized the city manager to execute the agreement with the Tri‑Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL‑CIO, and the signatory unions. Councilmember Smith seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous: Reyes Martin — Aye; Kiriakou — Aye; Smith — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Kasdan — Aye; Mayor Perotti — Aye.
Key terms: the PLA covers the Fire Station 10 construction only (the city and unions negotiated a project‑specific agreement rather than a dollar‑threshold policy application). The agreement runs for five years and sets a local participation goal: at least 50% of labor hours on the project should be provided by local area residents, prioritized as Goleta residents (tier 1), then Santa Barbara County residents (tier 2) and then neighboring counties in limited circumstances (tier 3). The PLA allows local area contractors to employ up to six “core workers” (initially up to three qualified regular workers plus up to three additional core workers subject to union referral rules) before following standard union referral procedures.
The PLA requires participating contractors to make contributions to union benefit funds under the master labor agreements, establishes uniform terms and dispute‑resolution procedures, and contains no‑strike/no‑lockout commitments. The agreement creates a joint administrative committee comprised of city and union representatives to oversee compliance, track progress and address grievances during construction.
Next steps: the city manager was authorized to sign the agreement now, subject to ratification by the listed unions. After the unions sign, the fully executed PLA will be returned to the city for final signature and applied to Fire Station 10 construction.
Why it matters: PLAs are intended to stabilize labor relations on significant capital projects, encourage local hiring and apprenticeship participation, and reduce the risk of work stoppages. The council had adopted a PLA policy in 2021; staff and negotiators agreed a project‑specific PLA best fit the city’s short‑term capital program after reviewing the five‑year capital improvement plan.
Speakers quoted in this report spoke during the July 15, 2025 council meeting; the action was a formal council vote.
