Though much of this blog’s attention has focused on public PLAs, it’s also important to note the negative impact of private PLAs and the tactics used by Big Labor to get them as well. Sure, a private entity is free to enter into an agreement with Big Labor that will increase its construction costs by [...]
Associated Builders and Contractors’ weekly electronic newsletter, Newsline, ran a story in yesterday’s edition about ABC’s meeting with Obama officials to discuss and oppose Executive Order 13502 (“ABC Meets with Obama Administration to Discuss PLA Executive Order). Here are some excerpts: ABC, along with two other trade associations, May 21 met with senior Obama administration officials and [...]
The repercussions of the November 2008 elections hit the San Diego construction industry hard on May 26, when the Board of Education for the San Diego Unified School District voted 3-2 to require contractors to sign a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with unions for much of the school construction funded by the $2.4 billion Proposition [...]
Another profile in courage is taking place in San Diego, where a proposed union-only project labor agreement on all projects funded by Proposition S, a $2.1 billion bond approved by the voters, was released at 5pm on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board then scheduled a vote [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged California, Executive Order 13502, Open Competition, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, Project Labor Agreements, San Diego, SavePropS.com, School Construction, SDUSD, Union-only PLAs harm local workers
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Saratoga Springs, NY is in the midst of a budget crisis and hoping federal stimulus money for construction can spur the local economy. The only problem is the 2008 New York Wicks Law “reform” may force Saratoga Springs into a wasteful and discriminatory union-only PLA. In 2008, New York “reformed” their Wicks Law, which is [...]
The Ingham County, MI’s County Council is considering whether to institute a PLA requirement on a case-by-case basis on county-funded projects with direct labor costs greater than $100,000. The only problem is PLAs are wasteful, discriminatory and essentially lock out non-union workers – who make up over 75 percent of Michigan’s construction workforce. Well, people [...]
The Lincoln Club of San Diego County and the San Diego Taxpayers Association are hosting a debate on PLAs on the San Diego Unified school district’s $2.1 million proposition S. Representatives from Associated Builders and Contractors and Associated General Contractors have agreed to participate in the debate. There to represent Big Labor will be… So [...]
As we’ve mentioned before, one of the biggest misconceptions about PLAs is that they guarantee a local workforce on construction projects. On May 18, the Columbus, OH City Council adopted a PLA requirement for all city projects. The mandate applies to all new city construction costing over $100,000 and reconstruction or renovation costing over $20,000. [...]
At this week’s Building & Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO Legislative Conference, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said something mystifying. She actually said that she supports a mechanism designed to keep the 84 percent of the private construction workforce from laboring construction projects, especially those workers who happen to be a woman or member of [...]
In March, the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) announced the construction of two future prisons, costing approximately $400 million. The projects’ general contractor hired Keystone Research Center (KRC) to research the feasibility of a PLA on the projects – despite numerous existing studies that already prove that union-only PLAs are wasteful and discriminatory. Luckily, [...]
