VIDEO RELEASE: Deluzio Protects 28,000 Union Jobs at Montgomery Locks and Dam

CARNEGIE, PA – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) released a video sharing how his office secured a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) requirement for the construction work at the Montgomery Locks and Dam project on the Ohio River. The video highlights Steve Mazza, Council Representative at Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, who speaks to how this win for workers will help local union carpenters. Congressman Deluzio’s fight for this PLA requirement makes sure that the expected 28,000 construction jobs created at the site will be solid, high-paying Western Pennsylvania jobs. 

When Congressman Deluzio heard there was no PLA requirement in bidding out work for the massive Montgomery Locks and Dam project in his congressional district, he jumped into action, coordinating with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Biden Administration, and local unions to require a PLA for all of the work on this project. An agreement was finalized on February 22, 2024.

“I’m proud that I secured a Project Labor Agreement requirement for the work at the Montgomery Locks and Dam project, protecting the more than 28,000 expected construction jobs so that they are solid, union, Western Pennsylvania jobs,” said Rep. Deluzio. “When I heard from workers and unions that the work for the project was being bid without a PLA, I knew we had to act to protect jobs here in Western Pennsylvania. Ultimately, we got the Army Corps of Engineers to bid this project out with a strong PLA requirement. This means worker protections and solid pay for workers right around here in Western Pennsylvania—and it also means high-quality craftsmanship on the job. I am so proud that the Biden Administration is helping us make sure that we’ll have good, solid union jobs here in Western Pennsylvania, doing this important work.”

“We have a chance to lift people and communities up, through workforce development, through Project Labor Agreements, and through union jobs,” said Steve Mazza, Council Representative at Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “When we found out that President Biden’s Executive Order requiring that all large projects funded from the Infrastructure Law have a PLA in place wasn’t being followed at the Montgomery Locks and Dam site, the Carpenters connected with Congressman Deluzio who immediately got involved. He was a great help with this, and it is largely thanks to Congressman Deluzio that we now have this PLA in place to ensure that the project is done on time and that it will bring more jobs and more opportunities to working people in Beaver County.”

Pennsylvania’s biggest discretionary-funded recipient of federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Montgomery Locks and Dam project in Beaver County along the Ohio River is a critical part of the regional and national economy, transporting around 20 million tons of goods through the river system each year. Photos of Congressman Deluzio’s visit to the Montgomery Locks and Dam are available here.

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