Community Workforce Agreement Act is Anti-Delawarean

 By Tyler Micik

A proposal known as the Community Workforce Agreement Act has yet to be introduced, but will likely surface soon as the General Assembly returns to session next week. A draft version of the bill has been released, which you can view here.

The proposal mandates that all public works projects over $3 million be subject to a Community Workforce Agreement (CWA). This means that all contractors and subcontractors would have to sign an agreement with organized labor to perform work on said projects. Government contracting should be based on sound, credible criteria. Public officials have a duty to be fiscally responsible and avoid favoritism in the procurement process. 

This is a problem for many reasons, but two are most obvious. The first is the fact that workers will come from outside of Delaware to work these jobs. That means these workers will earn wages working on Delaware projects and return home to places like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Maryland where they’ll use their hard-earned income to improve their homes and neighborhoods. How does that benefit working-class neighborhoods in Newark, Wilmington, Dover, or Bear? Put simply, it doesn’t and that’s not fair. The second reason is price and quality. All Delawareans deserve the right to earn a paycheck and have equal access to state work, regardless of organizational membership. Open competition and competitive bidding for all public projects ensures contracts are awarded to those who will do the best work at the best price. 

Members from the Delaware Manufacturing Association (DMA) such as John Gooden, president of M. Davis & Sons, stated the following about the proposal: 

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“Statements like, ‘Community workforce agreements, therefore, give Delaware an effective
means to advance the interests of efficiency, quality, and timeliness of public works projects’
imply that the people who do over 80% of the construction in Delaware aren’t cost effective,
can’t hit schedule, and do shoddy work. We run a business that is over 150 years old and
​​more than 90% of our business is with repeat customers."

This proposal is just one of many that will have an impact on the business community and Delawareans. HB262, the Data Broker and Consumer Protection Act, deters innovation and places burdensome reporting requirements on businesses that sell data. The State Chamber is opposed to the bill and submitted a letter in opposition, which you can view here. Several organizations have signed onto the letter thus far, including:

   - Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce
   - Consumer Data Industry Association
   - Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement
   - Delaware Business Roundtable
   - Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association 
   - Delaware Restaurant Association
   - Georgetown Chamber of Commerce
   - Internet Coalition
   - New Castle County Chamber of Commerce
   - Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce
   - State Privacy and Security Coalition
   - TechNet

If you have feedback on any of these proposals or others, please direct it to me at [email protected].