While Northwest Indiana waits to see whether the Chicago Bears will choose it for its new stadium, labor leaders are waiting to hear if the trades get to be involved at all.
Senate Bill 27, authored by State Senators Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, and Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, which passed through the Indiana Senate Wednesday, contains language that effectively would prohibit the Bears from entering into any project labor agreements, labor leaders told the Post-Tribune. In a heavily labor-concentrated part of the state, the idea that PLAs wouldn’t be used is “not a good business model” at best.
The language is concerning enough that all three Northwest Indiana County Republican Chairs — Randy Niemeyer in Lake, Nathan Uldricks in Porter and Allen Stevens in LaPorte County — cosigned a letter imploring the legislature to remove the language.
“As conservatives, small ‘g’ government is best. Sensible regulations, fiscal responsibility, and policies creating work and wealth for all Hoosiers,” the letter read. “In particular, we believe each company and community should be free to negotiate their own best interests, both in fiscal and labor policy,” the letter reads. “Northwest Indiana is home to some of the most skilled tradesmen in the entire country … We will always encourage companies of scale to consider Union labor as an option.
“We call on the State legislature, Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Office of the Governor to prioritize the use of in-state labor for any project funded with Public dollars … As Republicans, it is our opinion that the issues of our working-class skilled tradesmen should be a top priority.”
“I think it’s important to consider the environment: Northwest Indiana is home to some of the strongest tradesmen and women in the country, so to write a bill that precludes them, that doesn’t match,” Niemeyer told the Post-Tribune. “I’m a blue-collar worker, and our people would do a tremendous job.”
Randy Palmateer, Business Manager for Northwest Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, said he can’t believe the state would dare to tell a private business what to do, especially since the organization employs union labor already. He spent Tuesday getting documentation from the team to make sure that checks out.
“I have the (memorandum of understanding) from Arlington Heights, and it has a PLA, and the Bears have unions right now (at Soldier Field),” Palmateer said. “This anti-union sentiment will kill local support and open the floodgates for low-paid labor.”
Dave Fagen, financial secretary for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, agreed.
“You’ll have workers coming from Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mississippi, and what do they do? They take the money back to their states with them,” Fagen said. “We just invested $30 million for training for our guys, so why would the state deprive our workers for the chance to be part of this? It’s not a good business model, and the Bears are savvy enough to know that if they alienate labor, they’re going to lose a lot of season tickets from people who travel to Chicago right now.
“If the state is going to pass this bill, let the Bears decide (if they want a PLA). It’s as simple as that.”
State Senator Rodney Pol, D-Portage, was in discussions over the bill Tuesday and said legislators caught the PLA language “immediately.” It was taken from a bill written in 2019 for a soccer stadium in Indianapolis, he said. Currently, the future of the proposed Eleven Park stadium is in doubt since the City of Indianapolis withdrew its financial support.
“The bill came through as a vehicle bill that wasn’t created before the deadline. It was intended to be written more like the Lucas Oil stadium deal,” Pol said. “I filed an anti-PLA language removal, as did Senator (Mike) Bohacek, and in the five years I’ve been here, I’ve been able to get rid of anti-PLA language in several bills. I’m comfortable working with Senator Mishler to get it worked out, but yeah, it’ll never fly here.”
When the bill passed out Wednesday, however, the language was still included. Pol said it should be fixed in the House.
“It’s par for the course that the legislature forgets who we are sometimes, but if the Bears are considering over a billion dollars in investment, then by God, we should have the opportunity,” Niemeyer added.
As it stands now, SB 27 would establish a three-member authority: the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the public finance director or designee, and another member appointed by the Office of Management and Budget, the Post-Tribune previously reported. The authority would work toward acquiring, financing, constructing and leasing land and capital improvements.
It would also have the power to finance, improve, construct, reconstruct, renovate, purchase, lease, acquire, and equip land and capital improvements, according to the bill.
The bill would require a National Football League team to enter into a lease for the stadium for at least 35 years. After the term of the lease, the lessee would have the option to purchase the capital improvement for $1 if certain conditions are met. Under the bill, the authority could issue bonds, and the lease rental payments could be made from local excise taxes, food and beverage tax and innkeeper’s tax.
The Senate Appropriations Committee amended the bill to remove the authority’s goal of 15% participation by minority businesses and 5% participation from women’s businesses to participate in the procurement and contracting process.
On Jan. 10, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren and Chairman George McCaskey took NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on a tour of the Arlington Heights site the team owns, and two sites in Northwest Indiana, including one near Wolf Lake in Hammond, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The tour took place before the Bears’ epic come-from-behind victory over the archrival Packers. The visit is significant because the National Football League may loan $200 million or more for the stadium project, if it is approved by league owners, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In addition, Gary officials identified three “plug-and-play” sites: Gary West End Entertainment District near Hard Rock Casino, Buffington Harbor and Miller Beach, according to a press release.
During his state of the state address Jan. 14, Braun touted Indiana’s strong business environment as part of the reason that the Bears have looked to Northwest Indiana to build a stadium.
“We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state so they can really see what a great place is to have a business. We’ll work hard to do it. Let’s get it across the finish line,” Braun said.
Post-Tribune reporter Alexandra Kukulka contributed.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.