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Independent committee recommends Moreno Valley Unified not adopt project labor agreements
Summary
An independent facility advisory committee, facilitated by MGT, recommended unanimously that Moreno Valley Unified not adopt project labor agreements now, citing transparency concerns, erosion of community trust and fiduciary responsibility to stretch bond dollars.
An independent facility advisory committee convened to study project labor agreements (PLAs) recommended unanimously on Monday that Moreno Valley Unified School District not adopt PLAs at this time, citing concerns about transparency, potential erosion of community trust and the district's fiduciary duty to maximize bond dollars.
"The purpose is should Moreno Valley Unified School District be using PLAs?" Michael Taylor of MGT asked during his presentation summarizing committee work. Taylor told the board that PLAs are collective bargaining agreements between a public entity and organized labor often used on construction projects, and that the committee spent multiple meetings and heard from legal counsel, union and contractor representatives before reaching its conclusion.
Taylor summarized the committee's unanimous vote: "the committee came up with it was 8 0 that the district should not use PLAs," citing three main reasons — transparency, erosion of trust (especially since Measures M and X did not discuss PLAs with voters), and fiduciary responsibility to get the best value from bond dollars. He explained the committee considered typical PLA benefits such as strike risk reduction and student trade-program connections, but judged the trade-offs — possible higher costs and reduced competition — significant enough to recommend against PLAs.
Board members pressed on specifics: whether PLAs would limit opportunities for nonunion local contractors and how student workforce agreements would interface with PLA terms. The presentation and subsequent discussion made a clear distinction between the district's student workforce agreement (CTE pathways and on-the-job training) and PLA negotiations, with staff saying the student workforce program will continue regardless of a PLA decision.
No board action was required; the report was informational. Trustees requested the original pro-PLA presentation be made available and left open the possibility of further study or future public discussion before taking any formal action on PLAs or including PLA language in future bond measures.
