A protest over Butler County adopting a labor agreement for construction of a new office building has turned into a debate on the role of the county Republican Committee.

County Commissioner Bill McCarrier, a Republican and board chairman, said GOP chairman Ed Natali was out of line with his recent criticism of the agreement.

“The chairman of a party should not take sides on an issue,” McCarrier said.

Natali disagreed: “We weren’t taking sides.”

He pointed out the two Republican commissioners represent the people in that party, so they should be making decisions based on the views of their constituency.

“They are our elected representatives,” he said.

McCarrier countered by saying the committee should not admonish Republican officials.

Natali said that’s not the case.

“I don’t think that makes them hands off,” he said.

McCarrier said the committee’s role is different from what Natali believes.

“The party’s position is to strengthen the party and bring in new members,” McCarrier said.

He said Natali and the executive committee are being divisive within the party.

Under the labor agreement with the Butler-Venango County Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO and affiliate unions that was approved in March, only union labor may be used for the $12.1 million county project.

Along with erecting a four-level office building adjacent to the county government center, the project entails repairing the roofs of the government center and courthouse as well as replacing three air conditioning units on the government center.

Natali said the committee is protesting the county’s decision to force people to join a union if they want to work on such a project.

“You’re taking away a person’s freedom,” he said.

Natali said there was no reason to limit which contractors could bid on the job by signing the labor agreement.

“You don’t need a labor contract like this,” he said.

Natali said he knows the agreement was a mistake because he’s negotiated contracts during his career

“This is not an anti-union thing,” he said.

Natali maintains project labor agreements can increase overall construction costs by 20 percent.

McCarrier disagreed.

“His research has to be wrong,” McCarrier said.

He pointed out the construction bids came in under budget so the agreement did not increase the project cost.

Natali said committee members don’t understand why the labor agreement was approved.

“Frankly, it astonished us,” he said.

Natali said he wanted to remain objective in the initial criticism of the commissioners’ decision, but the result of promoting union labor is more funding is directed to Democratic candidates through union dues.

“We’re actually funding the opposition,” he said.

McCarrier said he opposed unions having the ability to spend money from dues on political campaigns.

However, he pointed out most county workers belong to unions.