Foley Hoag LLP represented Vineyard Wind during the negotiation of the first project labor agreement (PLA) for the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the nation. This historic agreement, signed with the Southeastern Massachusetts Building Trades Council, aims to create jobs all throughout the South Coast, Cape and Islands, opening new economic opportunities for the community.

This complex and first-of-its-kind PLA showcases the important role the Massachusetts workforce will play in building the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the US. It will create over 1,000 jobs including roughly 500 union jobs over the course of the two-and-a-half-year construction project. To continue leading the way in this new and growing industry, the agreement includes a $500,000 outreach initiative designed to bolster pre-apprenticeship and recruitment programs, particularly in underserved communities. Moreover, the terms of the agreement will ensure that a majority of the workforce be from local communities, requiring that at least half of the onshore jobs be set aside for people from Southeastern Massachusetts, in addition to setting concrete hiring targets for women and people of color.

“This PLA showcases Vineyard Wind’s commitment to providing local and state-wide benefits to the community and we are pleased to see it come to fruition,” said James W. Bucking, Partner, Chair of the Firm's Labor & Employment Law Group at Foley Hoag. “Investing in the local workforce will enable the long-term growth and success of the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts and across the country. We are proud to have been a part of the negotiations with the Trades Council and dozens of local unions to finally implement the special requirements needed for a project that will ultimately set the standards for off-shore wind and other renewable energy projects across the country.”

The Vineyard Wind 1 project plays an important role in America’s clean energy future provisioning over 400,000 homes and businesses with electricity, saving ratepayers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years, reducing 1.6 million tons of carbon emissions per year and creating jobs that will benefit the full community.

Along with Bucking, Vineyard Wind was represented by Foley Hoag attorneys Christopher Feudo and Allison Anderson. The firm will continue working with the offshore wind development company through the next steps of the project.