Robbinsville Township Council passed a resolution June 14 authorizing the township to become the first municipality in Mercer County to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Southern New Jersey Building and Construction Trade Councils, as well as the Mercer and Burlington Counties Trade and Construction Councils, on a direct-hire pilot program.
The MOU will allow the township to supplement its existing workforce with skilled and qualified construction/electrical/plumbing workers employed directly from those respective unions on an as-needed, temporary basis.
“This groundbreaking MOU allows us to direct-hire so we are no longer forced to go through independent contractors,” Mayor Dave Fried said.
Fried thanked state Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, Rep. Chris Smith and Michael Maloney from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 9 for their help in developing the MOU.
As part of the agreement, workers will be referred to the municipal government by the aforementioned trade councils, and all parties agree that such labor will be provided at the sole discretion of Robbinsville Township. The scope of work will vary, but will include township repairs and/or construction under director of public works Dino Colarocco and his designees.
“These are dedicated, licensed workers that have been background-checked,” the mayor added. “This agreement will profoundly improve our infrastructure by giving us the ability to manage certain projects. We also believe this could save enough taxpayer dollars to position us for a fourth straight municipal tax cut next year.”
