Pasco council weighs community workforce agreements for city projects amid split on costs and local hiring

Director Sarah briefed the council on project labor agreements (PLAs) and community workforce agreements (CWAs), explaining that Pasco already requires prevailing wages and apprenticeship utilization on many public projects but that CWAs could strengthen local hiring targets and training goals. She described how federal funding may be incompatible with some PLA clauses and warned of administrative and monitoring costs the city would face to enforce local hiring goals.

Josh Faye, representing the Carpenters Union, urged the council to adopt CWAs to keep tax dollars local and to create apprenticeship pathways: "Community workforce agreements or CWAs help ensure those benefits stay right here in our community," he said during public comment. Julian Jensen offered examples of projects where apprentice utilization fell short, arguing CWAs could close gaps and improve local outcomes.

Council members split along pragmatic and aspirational lines. One councilor called for immediate implementation and said using tax dollars to build a local workforce pipeline would keep money in Pasco; others cautioned that stronger requirements can reduce competition and raise costs. Several members recommended a regional approach with neighboring cities to avoid creating bidding disparities in the Tri‑Cities market.

Staff recommended continued study and outreach: meet with labor representatives, local contractors and peer cities (including Spokane) to understand implementation choices; the council agreed to revisit the topic in January to allow staff to gather additional data and perform targeted outreach.