More than two years after Berkeley leaders adopted a set of union-backed labor standards for major construction projects, the developers behind three proposed new apartment complexes plan to use one of California’s most powerful state housing laws to exempt themselves from the mandates.

The move has construction unions crying foul, saying it subverts the law’s intent and effectively guts a host of local development ordinances that set requirements for workers’ pay, health care coverage and apprenticeship programs. Two labor groups have appealed a Zoning Adjustments Board decision to approve one of the projects to the City Council. They’re concerned the developers’ strategy could become a playbook for dodging labor standards in Berkeley and throughout the state.

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