TVA extends labor agreements

The Tennessee Valley Authority and North America’s Building Trades Unions have reached an agreement for a 10-year extension of their Project Labor Agreements designating the union coalition as the official bargaining unit for all TVA contractors that utilize workers covered by the 15 unions in the group.

Until now, the customary extension period for Project Labor Agreements has been five years and the new agreement will extend the partnership through 2031.

“TVA and the Building & Trade Unions have been partners since TVA’s inception,” said TVA president and CEO Jeff Lyash. “TVA was built by trades & labor workers.

The Project Labor Agreements cover the terms and conditions of employment on projects, such as quality of work, productivity and timely completion.

“TVA and NABTU have set the standard for successful labor management cooperation for almost

90 years,” said North America’s Building Trades Unions’ President Sean McGarvey. “All other successful models replicate this partnership where workers have a seat at the table, and we work together to create and maintain middle-class family sustaining jobs and bring affordable power and economic development to families and business in the Valley.”

TVA is the largest employer in the Southeast of NABTU-represented trades and labor workers. During outages and construction, TVA can employ 5,000 or more NABTU workers.