Seven members of the D.C. Council sent a letter to the Washington Commanders today, expressing their expectation that project labor agreements (PLAs) and Labor Peace Agreements are necessary — among other conditions — for their consideration of using more than $1 billion in taxpayer money to support the proposed RFK development deal.
“While many are excited about the prospect of bringing the Washington Commanders to D.C.,” states the letter, “the Council has concerns about several elements of the proposal before us. One shared priority is ensuring it’s a fair deal that protects workers with quality jobs during stadium construction, at adjacent sites proposed to be under team control, and throughout operations once opened. The current deal does not include these assurances.”
“The Council has concerns about several elements of the proposal before us. One shared priority is ensuring it’s a fair deal that protects workers with quality jobs during stadium construction.”
Letter from 7 D.C. council members to the Commanders
“The Council has concerns about several elements of the proposal before us. One shared priority is ensuring it’s a fair deal that protects workers with quality jobs during stadium construction.”
Letter from 7 D.C. council members to the Commanders
“D.C. has a long history,” continued the letter, “of requiring both Labor Peace Agreements and Project Labor Agreements on major developments that include public funding, like Nationals Park and Audi Field. Because of these agreements, these projects were delivered without any labor disruption.”
The following councilmembers signed into the letter: Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1), Matthew Frumin (Ward 3), Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4), Zachary Parker (Ward 5), Charles Allen (Ward 6), Christina Henderson (At-large) and Robert White (At-large).
At the end of April, the Commanders and Mayor Bowser announced a $4 billion deal to construct the new home for the NFL team at the site of the old RFK Stadium.
The building trades are calling for the stadium redevelopment to include a project labor agreement (PLA) that supports local hiring requirements, providing D.C. residents with family-supporting career opportunities in construction.
Watch video from 5/15/25 in which union members and concerned D.C. residents packed a town hall to discuss the RFK stadium project: