Proposed Brightwater labor agreement would ensure timely, cost-effective construction

April 26, 2005

Proposed Brightwater labor agreement would ensure timely, cost-effective construction

King County Executive Ron Sims today recommended a special five-year labor agreement for building a 13-mile tunnel, outfall, pump station and other facilities to carry treated wastewater from the future Brightwater Treatment Plant to Puget Sound.

"Our region's economy and environment will be at risk if Brightwater is not built by 2010," Sims said. "To meet this critical date, I am recommending the use of a project labor agreement to help ensure Brightwater is built on time and in a cost-effective manner."

The project labor agreement, or PLA, covers wages, work rules, working conditions, safety provisions, benefits and other terms and conditions for the hundreds of people who will be building the Brightwater conveyance system. It also includes procedures for settling grievances, including no-strike and no-lockout provisions, and sanctions and mechanisms for resolving disputes.

"The five-year construction period for Brightwater would span multiple bargaining agreements," Sims said. "By setting labor terms for the entire period in the proposed agreement, the county can avoid potential labor-related disruptions during renegotiations of expired bargaining agreements."

The proposed agreement, which must be authorized by the King County Council, is with the Northwest Washington Building and Construction Trades Council, Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council, and Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council. They're also now negotiating a similar agreement for construction of the Brightwater Treatment Plant.

"This agreement will help us supply a highly skilled workforce to build a project that is critical for the economy of our region," said Peter Coates, executive secretary of the Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council. "Brightwater will support regional economic growth for the next 30 years as well as enable King County to continue protecting public health and preserving our vital water resources."

King County is building Brightwater to serve the growing population in south Snohomish County and north King County. Without Brightwater's wastewater treatment capacity, the region risks sewage overflows and a moratorium on new construction in both counties.

Final design is under way for Brightwater's wastewater conveyance facilities, including the tunnel, a pump station for sending wastewater to the treatment plant, tunnel access portal for construction and the Puget Sound outfall.

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division plans to go to bid for the first tunneling contract this July and to begin construction on the conveyance system early in 2006. Construction of the treatment plant is scheduled to begin in mid-2006. King County expects to complete all construction in 2010.

According to the agreement, all winning contractors and subcontractors for building the Brightwater conveyance system must agree to terms of the agreement before performing work on the project.

"The Brightwater project will require many contractors, subcontractors and trade workers to build the complex system," Sims said. "My recommendation is based on a careful review of state criteria for using a project labor agreement and policy direction from the King County Labor Policy Committee."

King County Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds, who sponsored the legislation, explained that project labor agreements must create economic benefit for time-sensitive major construction projects that will last a long time; involve many contractors, subcontractors, and trades and craft workers; and have a substantial dollar value.

"The Brightwater project is complex and will last many years," Councilmember Edmonds said. "And with a cost of about $1.48 billion, it will be one of the largest public works projects built in the Puget Sound region."

The agreement also follows several policies that Sims recommended. For example, King County will ensure that small, nonunion contractors can compete effectively for work on the Brightwater project. And King County will ensure the agreement is cost-effective by exploring ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

The agreement sets general work rules to ensure the timely completion of Brightwater construction. And it ensures that all workers are paid a livable wage; receive health, welfare and retirement benefits; and have safe working conditions and rules.

In addition, the agreement includes goals to achieve broad representation of women and minority, workers in the Brightwater workforce. And it will help provide and preserve a continuous, highly trained construction workforce in the Puget Sound region.

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division serves 17 cities, 17 local sewer agencies and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The regional wastewater-treatment utility formerly known as Metro has been preventing water pollution for 40 years.