In Ohio, two bills are currently being considered by the General Assembly, House Bill 180 and Senate Bill 152, that would prohibit cities from using geographic hiring preferences on construction projects.  Such preferences are often written into Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to ensure that the local workforce is given preference…

  Republicans in the Michigan legislature are considering a bill that would ban Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) on a statewide basis.  The bill was first introduced in the December “lame duck session” where it passed its House committee but never came up for a vote.  Rep. Earl Poleski, who proposed last year’s bill, plans to…

  In California, the Southwestern Community College governing board has approved a Community Benefits Agreement (commonly referred to as a Project Labor Agreement) for its Proposition R projects.  The ballot initiative encouraging the project was passed in 2008 with 71 percent of voters approving the $389 million loan to the college.  Now,…