Labor unions have won a major victory by convincing Los Angeles city officials to agree that only union workers will be employed on an important project at Los Angeles International Airport.

The labor agreement also may force union contracts on other projects at LAX and other city-owned airports over the next decade.

The L.A. City Council on Aug. 4 unanimously approved a labor pact that initially impacts only the $112 million modernization project at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which handles the bulk of international flights at LAX. About $35 million of the total bill will cover labor costs, city documents said.

The “project labor agreement” or PLA approved by the council could also affect all future projects at LAX, Ontario International Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport and Van Nuys Airport through 2010. The union pact would have to be reviewed by the City Council and the Airport Commission in the future to impact those airports.

“The City Council believes that the labor agreement is good for labor, the city and workers seeking apprenticeships,” said Niki Tennant, spokeswoman for L.A. City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who voted for the agreement and whose district includes LAX. “We in particular look forward to the labor agreement being available for Ontario and Palmdale.”

City officials maintain the labor pact will speed up construction and save money because strikes, slowdowns and employer lockouts are forbidden.

“This project labor agreement makes sense for all the airports operated by the city. Taxpayers will get the best project for their money while we make sure workers get decent wages and benefits,” said Richard Slawson, executive director of the Los Angeles/Orange County Building Trades Council, in a press release.

But the agreement had non-union contractors and workers seething. They claim that 80 percent of contractors will be shut out from participating in airport projects because they are not unionized, adding to project costs.

Non-union contractors can bid on projects, but if they win a bid they must have a certain portion of their laborers’ salaries set aside for union dues even though they don’t belong to the union.

“This agreement forces me to take money from my employees to put into union trust funds,” complained Larry Tayler, president of Terra-Cal Construction Inc., a Baldwin Park company that does public works projects. “I would rather take the money my workers have coming to them and give them 100 percent of it to do with what they want. As a non-union shop, we can train people to be multitasked and do more than one job, which unions frown upon.”

This isn’t the first time such a labor agreement has been struck in Los Angeles. Other local projects completed with PLAs include the Getty Center, Staples Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center expansion and all projects approved by the Los Angeles Unified School District.