Thursday, April 14, 2011 | 10:48 a.m.
A group representing nonunion contractors is suing Clark County, charging they've been unfairly disqualified from bidding on a $30 million project to renovate the county jail in downtown Las Vegas.
Citizen Outreach Inc., dba as Nevada Business Coalition, filed suit April 8 in Clark County District Court charging the county is requiring union participation in the bidding for the job by mandating that the successful bidder agree to be bound by the terms of a project labor agreement.
Project labor agreements, requiring contractors to be bound by terms of union collective bargaining agreements, have been controversial for years in Southern Nevada as they relate to taxpayer-funded projects.
In this case, the lawsuit says the county is taking bids for the Clark County Detention Center North Tower Renovation Project and that the project labor agreement (PLA) requirement "illegally limits bidding indirectly, to union contractors."
"The PLA has the effect of preventing the public from receiving the best bid," the suit says. "The PLA discourages competition and encourages favoritism while wasting public funds."
The business coalition, which includes nonunion contractors, says there's no evidence the PLA will lower costs or help bring the project in on time and on budget.
With the local construction industry hit particularly hard by the recession, the lawsuit charged: "There is no shortage of skilled workers to support the requirement of a PLA."
A request for comment was placed with the county.
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