NJ Turnpike Racial, Union Requirements Challenged by Contractor

New Jersey’s minority construction hiring and project labor agreement regulations violate the US Constitution, a road construction company claims in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.

Requiring contractors to meet or demonstrate an effort toward achieving diversity hiring targets violates 14th Amendment equal protection rights, builder Earle Asphalt Co. said in a complaint it filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.

The company also alleges that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s requirement that contractors enter project labor agreements violates free speech and association rights.

“For nearly sixty years, Earle has built New Jersey’s infrastructure without regard ...