PARSIPPANY — A petition started by Councilman Justin Musella to repeal Parsippany’s Project Labor Agreement (PLAs) ordinance has reached over 1,000 signatures. Musella presented the signatures to the Mayor and Council during the Agenda Meeting on Wednesday, January 4.
The petition calls for the repeal of a 2022 ordinance that requires PLAs for municipal construction projects budgeted for over $5 million.
According to Musella, “With bipartisan support from residents all over town, it is clearly
more than ever that the ordinance should be repealed. Blanket PLA’s like the one introduced in October stifle competition for government construction contracts, increase costs to the taxpayer, and put small and minority-owned businesses at a competitive disadvantage.”
He continued, “Parsippany is already in the midst of an over-taxation crisis, combined with serious structural problems in our finances. I made an oath from day one to fight to keep Parsippany affordable and enable residents to stay here and not flee our town. It is
encouraging to see the groundswell of support for this effort, and I look forward to presenting these petition signatures to the Township Council.”
A dozen residents spoke at the meeting, asking the Mayor and Council to repeal the PLA.
The New Jersey Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors is a vocal opponent of the ordinance. President Sam DeAlmeida said, “Project Labor Agreements eliminate the competitive bidding process for contractors that choose not to belong to a union, many of whom are members of our New Jersey Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. As the leading voice for these contractors, we are extremely opposed to the recently passed PLA ordinance in Parsippany-Troy Hills, as it disproportionately takes business opportunities away from qualified contractors. We thank Councilman Musella for advocating for these contractors and supporting his efforts to repeal the PLA.”
Township resident Debbie Nemorovich said, “I would first like to thank Councilman Musella for starting this petition, and as soon as I knew about it, I got all of my friends and family to sign in town. I believe PLAs are harmful to the town, and I truly believe that if you care about how your constituents feel, you will consider immediately repealing this.”
“Elections have consequences, and we elected you because we thought Republicans would make it more affordable to live in town. Everything I have read tells me that PLAs will jack up project costs, delay timelines, and discriminate against non-unionized firms. Everybody I went door to door encouraging to sign told me that they didn’t want to pay the higher taxes this would cause.”
“I want each Council person plus Mayor Barberio to state on the record tonight whether or not they will consider the repeal. If you don’t listen to us in our overwhelming calls to repeal, then we deserve to know why.”
Debbie Nemorovich continued, “I know many people who live here that are scared to speak out against the PLA due to the terrifying process it was passed under. I know people who were scared to speak out due to the show of force that I believe was intended to silence critics.”
