Monthly Archives: July 2011

Project Labor Agreements on California School Construction Raise Costs up to 15 Percent, Study Says

July 27, 2011 – 5:40 pm

According to a new study released by the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR), California school construction projects built using project labor agreements (PLAs) experienced increased costs of 13 percent to 15 percent, or $28.90 to $32.49 per square foot, compared to projects that did not use a PLA. Measuring the Cost of [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Beacon Hill Institute Responds to Attacks on Project Labor Agreement Research

July 22, 2011 – 12:01 pm

Dr. David Tuerck, Executive Director of The Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Economics at Suffolk University, asked TheTruthAboutPLAs.com to post the following note and related correspondence to U.S. Congress in response to attacks by Dr. Peter Phillips, economics professor at the University of Utah, on BHI’s research on the impact of government-mandated [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

BREAKING: MI Gov. Snyder Signs Bill to Ban Government-mandated PLAs

July 19, 2011 – 4:23 pm

Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has signed Michigan S.B. 165, which will prohibit the use of wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on state, local, university and state assisted construction in Michigan. This will have serious implications in places like Ann Arbor, Detroit, Macomb County and Michigan State University, where past PLA requirements have [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

WSJ Editorial: Government-mandated PLAs “Deserve to be Outlawed”

July 19, 2011 – 2:27 pm

The title says it all and we completely agree! The editorial board at The Wall Street Journal has again come out against wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated PLAs.  Here are the highlights from the editorial (“Project Labor Revolt: The states ban union political bid-rigging. Obama demurs,” 7/19/11): One benefit of the squeeze on state and local [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Obama Administration Official Exceeds Authority in Pushing Local Governments to Mandate Project Labor Agreements

July 18, 2011 – 8:53 am

“I encourage you to read this guidance and to make use of project labor agreements whenever possible.” Is this an excerpt from a letter written by a top construction union official promoting anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs)? Believe it or not, it is the concluding inspirational thought in a “Project Labor Agreement [...]

By Kevin Dayton | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Maine Governor Signs Open Competition Bill into Law

July 13, 2011 – 3:47 pm

Maine is the land of good lobster, fine mustard and now open competition for taxpayer funded construction! Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) has signed L.D. 1257, which will keep government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) off state construction through October 2015. In Maine, more than 9 out of ten construction workers choose not to join a [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Stanislaus County Supervisors Vote to Approve Open Competition Ordinance

July 12, 2011 – 8:04 am

Today, the elected Board of Supervisors for Stanislaus County, Calif., voted 5-0 for a Fair and Open Competition ordinance. This will be the eighth local government in California to ensure taxpayers get the best quality construction at the best price by banning government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on county-funded construction projects. Lawmakers at all levels [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

San Diego Unified School District PLA Fails to Meet Local Hiring Goals

July 11, 2011 – 1:13 pm

Longtime readers of this blog remember that a PLA requirement was adopted by the San Diego Unified School District for all projects funded by Proposition S, a $2.1 billion voter-approved school construction bond. We have already seen this PLA requirement lead to expensive cost increases. Media reports now find that projects covered by the PLA [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

MWAA Officials Overlook Cause of Potential Phase 2 Project Labor Agreement Cost Increases

July 6, 2011 – 11:36 am

Recent correspondence from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) officials indicate that despite months of education and discussion with local stakeholders and the business community, MWAA does not fully understand the potential negative economic impact of its April 6 resolution mandating a union-favoring project labor agreement (PLA) that contractors are required to agree to in order [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Happy Independence Day, America!

July 3, 2011 – 10:31 am

Happy 4th of July from all of us here at TheTruthAboutPLAs.com.

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
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