Aloha Councilmembers,

My name is Tam Kim, Director of Operations at West Maui Construction. We have been a locally owned and operated construction company here on Maui since 2009. We employee about 100 local residents who call Maui home.

I strongly oppose the Bill 54, which would mandate Project Labor Agreement (PLA) or Community Workforce Agreement on Mau public capital improvement projects over $500,000.

This bill will restrict many non-union local contractors and smaller companies from bidding on these projects and only promote select large contractors to win public projects. It will reduce options for the client, the county, resulting in higher construction costs and more delays. Most smaller contractors will not be able to afford the demands put forth by this agreement, including lower-tier subcontractors.

This type of bill may be suitable for large contracts $25M or more, but it does not add benefits on smaller county projects, as most of our projects fall within $1.5M +/- $500K range. Due to the added restrictions and demands, this bill will certainly add more costs and delays to projects, ultimately costing taxpayers more money. This bill promotes unions but fails to promote competitive free market which drives quality and lowers costs. I point to the Rail project on Oahu, a PLA project plagued with cost overruns and delays.

Please vote NO on Bill 54.

Sincerely,

Tam Kim

C: 808-280-7888
tkim@wmcinc.com
35 Lunalilo St. ste 400
Wailuku, HI 96793

TESTIMONY OF PETE SULLIVAN
OWNER & PRESIDENT, P.B. Sullivan Construction
IN STRONG OPPOSITION TO BILL 54 (2025)
Maui County Council – Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee
Friday, April 25, 2025

Good afternoon, Chair Sugimura, Vice-Chair Kama, and Honorable Councilmembers,

My name is Pete Sullivan, and I am the Owner and President of P.B. Sullivan Construction. On behalf of my business partner, Dave Sullivan, and our entire team, I am submitting this testimony in strong opposition to Bill 54 (2025), which would require contractors on County capital improvement projects over $500,000 to become signatories to a “Community Workforce Agreement”—in essence, a Project Labor Agreement (PLA).

P.B. Sullivan Construction has proudly served Maui for over 30 years as a locally owned merit shop contractor. We’ve built schools, homes, infrastructure, and community facilities—employing local residents, offering a state-approved apprenticeship program, and paying prevailing wages. Bill 54 would unfairly exclude qualified, merit-based contractors like ours from bidding on public projects, despite our proven commitment to quality, safety, and workforce development.

Mandating union agreements would force our employees—many of whom have been with us for decades—to give up their existing benefits and retirement plans. These are workers who have already invested years into their futures. Under a PLA, they would face delayed access to health coverage and be required to start over with unfamiliar retirement plans—at a time in life when stability is most important.

Furthermore, we know from both national data and local experience that PLAs increase construction costs by 12% to 18%. This added cost will not be absorbed by contractors—it will be passed on to Maui’s taxpayers. That’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair.
We fully support a competitive, qualified, and local workforce. But this bill does the opposite. It restricts competition, limits opportunity for local businesses, and prioritizes union affiliation over performance, integrity, and community investment.

Unions play an important role in our industry, but they should not have exclusive control over public work. Public projects should remain open, competitive, and fair—ensuring that the best-qualified contractors, regardless of union status, have the opportunity to serve our community.
I respectfully urge you to vote NO on Bill 54.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Sincerely,
Pete Sullivan
President & Owner
P.B. Sullivan Construction

TESTIMONY OF SHANNON ROBINSON
Controller, Arita Poulson General Contracting
Director, National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Hawaii Chapter 114
Director, Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA)
IN STRONG OPPOSITION TO BILL 54 (2025)
Maui County Council – Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee
Friday, April 25, 2025
Aloha Chair Sugimura, Vice-Chair Kama, and Councilmembers,
My name is Shannon Robinson, Controller at Arita Poulson General Contracting here on Maui. I also serve as a Director with NAWIC Hawaii Chapter 114 as well as a Director for the Building Industry Association of Hawaii. I’m writing today in strong opposition to Bill 54.
Arita Poulson General Contracting has been doing business on Maui since 1986. We are a locally owned, open-shop contractor, and we’ve built strong ties in this community for nearly 40 years. We hire local talent, pay prevailing wages, and invest in state-approved apprenticeship and training programs. Bill 54 would force companies like ours to sign union agreements, undermining how we operate and limiting opportunities for the very people we employ.
This bill threatens to shut out many small, family-run businesses that are the backbone of our local industry. Every project involves multiple subcontractors — many of them Maui-based, minority-owned, or highly specialized — who would face new barriers just to continue doing the work they’ve been doing for years.
Bill 54 also limits options for our young people entering the trades by favoring union-only training. Right now, Hawaii is already facing a skilled labor shortage in construction, and Maui is no exception. We need more trained workers to meet the demand for housing, infrastructure, and community projects — not fewer.
Restricting training to union-only programs closes the door on many who might otherwise pursue a career in the trades through open-shop apprenticeship programs like the one we run at Arita Poulson General Contracting. These programs are locally based, state-approved, and play a critical role in developing homegrown talent.
True workforce development should offer multiple pathways to success, giving individuals the freedom to choose the training that works best for them. When we limit those options, we not

only reduce opportunities for our youth but also weaken our ability to grow a strong, reliable labor force here on Maui. We need to focus on expanding access to training and building up our local workforce, not putting up roadblocks.
PLAs have been shown to raise project costs by 12% to 18% and reduce competition. At a time when we need every dollar to count for housing, schools, and infrastructure, we can’t afford policies that increase costs and exclude local builders.
Please keep Maui’s projects open and competitive. I respectfully urge you to reject Bill 54 and support a fair, inclusive construction industry for our community.
Mahalo for your time and service.

Sincerely,
Shannon Robinson
Controller, Arita Poulson General Contracting
Director, NAWIC Hawaii Chapter 114
Director, Building Industry Association of Hawaii
Email: srobinson@aritapoulson.com
Phone: 808-856-3219

Aloha Chair Sugimura and Members of the Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee,
My name is Ralph Cushnie , and I am a contractor based on the island of Kauai. I submit this testimony in strong opposition to Bill 54, which proposes mandatory Community Workforce Agreements (Project Labor Agreements) on all Maui County capital improvement projects exceeding $500,000.
As a concerned contractor, I believe unions are private enterprises — not arms of government — and they should not be granted exclusive control over who gets to work on taxpayer-funded projects. Bill 54 would compel non-union, local contractors to sign union-style agreements, regardless of their long-standing contributions, training programs, or workforce investments.
This legislation risks excluding open-shop contractors, many of whom are small, family-run businesses or DBEs. These firms support local jobs, pay fair wages, and provide alternative pathways for workforce development — without requiring union affiliation.
PLAs also reduce competition and increase construction costs — studies show by up to 18%. At a time when Hawaii residents are struggling with affordability, we should be encouraging open competition, not limiting it.
Maui’s public projects should reflect the diverse makeup of its community, not be monopolized by a single labor structure. I urge you to vote NO on Bill 54 and support policies that are fair, inclusive, and respectful of local contractors statewide.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.
Sincerely,
Ralph Cushnie
Vice President

CUSHNIE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. Lic. # ABC-28974
Certified UDBE/HUBZone
Office: 808.332.9000 Ext. 4 • Cell: 808.645.0955
Fax: 808.332.9400 • Email: ralph@cushniecci.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 910 • Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii 96741
Physical Address: 4702 Lae Road • Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii 96741