County Abandons Jail Labor Union Agreement

The county supervisors voted 3-2 this week in favor of looking into a project stabilization agreement (PSA) for the construction of the recidivism-reducing wing of the planned North County Jail — slated to open in 2018 — and abandoning plans to go with a PSA for the construction of the main portion of the facility. After weeks of negotiations between county staff and the builders-and-trades coalition over the PSA — meant to ensure the hiring of regional workers, an argument countered by employer groups — the coalition failed to deliver all of the unions’ approval; county staff said the top benefit of a PSA is 100 percent participation to guard against labor strife.