The Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL- CIO (MBCTC) has entered into a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with Gilbane Building Co. for the construction of the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons project.
Project Labor Agreements ensure that workers on a construction site make a living wage. Project Labor Agreements are a win-win. They are good for workers, good for contractors, good for the local community and help to create a safe and efficient building process.
The PLA was signed by Milwaukee Building Trades President Dan Bukiewicz and all 18 of the Building Trades Council’s affiliated unions. Bukiewicz became the MBCTC President this past February, and the PLA is a milestone for his first-term in office.
“I’m really proud of the partnership we share with Gilbane, C.G. Schmidt and Northwestern Mutual,” stated Bukiewicz. “Finalizing the PLA is a testament to our collective commitment to Milwaukee, the community and the project.
“Our affiliates understood the importance of working together towards a mutually beneficial agreement from the very beginning,” he added. “I’m pleased by the unanimous support from our locals, and share in their excitement in seeing this project through to its completion.”
The project will cost approximately $450 million and will start construction in the fall with an anticipated completion slated for 2017. Due to the length, size and complexities of constructing the 32-story tower, both Gilbane and C.G. Schmidt (the general contractor team) and Northwestern Mutual entered into conversations with the Milwaukee Building Trades Council about the PLA.
“Once we were awarded the job, we immediately began discussions with Northwestern Mutual about a PLA,” said Adam Jelen, senior vice president, Gilbane Building Co. “We were pleased they understood its benefits, and were very interested in using one for the project.
“We’ve had great success in partnering with the MBCTC on a PLA at the Potawatomi Hotel site,” he added. “Because of that, our team felt strongly about using the same model to forge a stronger relationship with the trades, and ensure the project exceeds Northwestern Mutual’s expectations all while positively impacting the community at large.”
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