The City of Buena Park is experiencing significant challenges and increased costs on public construction projects under its Community Workforce Agreement (CWA), a policy advanced by Mayor Connor Traut. Critics contend that the policy has resulted in millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted by overcharging the public and discriminating against local construction workers.
Mayor Traut, who local labor bosses credit for the city's first CWA, is noted for pushing the agreement. Formerly referred to as a Project Labor Agreement (PLA), the CWA was approved by the City Council on March 8, 2022, with the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. It became effective July 1, 2022, for a five-year term. One such PLA in 2022 reportedly cost City of Buena Park taxpayers over a half-million dollars in overruns on a single project.
Eric Christen from the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction wrote to Mayor Traut and other councilmembers, asserting that the CWA would cost taxpayers “tens of millions of dollars.” In November 2023, the City Council scheduled an update on the CWA’s implementation to review its effectiveness. City staff had met with union representatives beforehand to discuss administrative “challenges.”
The city staff review identified challenges in securing an adequate number of bids for some projects, which was “mainly attributed to contractor’s unwillingness to abide by the CWA.” These issues were particularly evident in projects requiring specialty work, such as pool or park improvements, and in soliciting professional services for geotechnical engineering and surveying.
Industry associations like the Western Electrical Contractors Association and the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction had issued warnings to Buena Park regarding the potential impacts of a Project Labor Agreement. A 2023 review by city staff further clarified that the CWA was a primary reason Buena Park projects were significantly exceeding initial estimates.
These challenges have persisted. In April 2024, the Buena Park City Council voted to reject all bids for the Smith Murphy Park and Carl Brenner Park Accessibility Improvement Project. Six bids, received on March 28, 2024, ranged from $1,012,847 to $1,779,240, significantly surpassing the project's $800,000 budget by 30% to over 120%. Staff recommended rejecting all bids due to the cost overruns.
Another instance occurred in July 2024, when a CWA project received only one bid at $1,099,628, which was 59% over the engineer's estimate of $690,000, and the bidder was not qualified. Critics argue that the CWA inherently reduces the number of bidders and increases costs for taxpayers, making it difficult for Merit Shop construction workers, who represent a large segment of the local workforce, to participate in city projects until the agreement's expiration in 2027.
