Sphere project will be pro-union but without PLA, Braveboy says
At least a dozen businessowners and contractors participated in a roundtable discussion with Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy about a billion-dollar Sphere entertainment venue proposal — and how it would benefit local businesses.
Braveboy said through talks with MSG, which owns Sphere, she was able to include in the deal local- and minority-owned contractors and businesses to help with construction, operations and labor.
“This is a game changer for companies like mine, NGEN, because we’re a technology company,” NGEN President and CEO Terry Speigner said. “Sphere is a big ball of technology, and for us to be able to participate in that at this stage in my life, this is good for me, but this is a generational change for me.”
Braveboy said she asked that 50% county-based small businesses and 40% minority business enterprises be included in the deal.
“We also have suffered some real losses in the county and losses at the federal level that have disproportionately impacted Prince George’s County,” she said.
A major talking point throughout the process has been unions. Braveboy said this would be a pro-union project, but it won’t include a project labor agreement (PLA) mandating a specific number of union jobs.
“That was from the very beginning,” said Tracy Benjamin, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer of economic development. “The Sphere’s business model is such that it is able to get large percentages of union participation without a PLA.”
“We’ve always been open to a labor peace agreement,” she said.
A group representing food service workers says having a peace-labor agreement is a good step and believes all parties need to come together to ensure it works out for everyone.
“It’s good to hear, but the devil is in the details, you know, in terms of making sure that it’s an agreement that actually works for county residents, protects workers,” said Margaret Sharp of Unite Here Local 23.
“I would still urge the council to add an amendment that both includes labor-peace agreement and a PLA that protects workers that build the Sphere,” she said.
The county council is expected to have a meeting Monday about the Sphere. This legislation will be introduced to the entire council for the first time.
