Kevin Dayton | The Truth About PLAs - Part 2

Author Archives: Kevin Dayton

Fair and Open Competition Measure Easily Qualifies for Ballot in City of San Diego

September 21, 2011 – 10:23 pm

The San Diego City Clerk announced late this afternoon that a proposed ballot measure for a Fair and Open Competition ordinance easily qualified for the next city election ballot. The well-organized, experienced campaign executive committee of local business owners and association representatives submitted their petitions on September 2, well ahead of the deadline, with far [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 20 in 2010, ABC California, Ballot Initiative, California, California Environmental Quality Act, Chula Vista, Greenmail, Kevin Dayton, local legislation, Open Competition, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, San Diego, SB 922, School Construction | Comments (0)

California Governor Jerry Brown Will Decide Fate of Local Voter Rebellions Against Project Labor Agreements

September 15, 2011 – 3:14 pm

The California legislature has approved and sent to Governor Jerry Brown three bills that construction union lobbyists are demanding in their quest to use the power of government to gain greater control over taxpayer-funded construction projects. These are Senate Bill 922, Assembly Bill 436, and Senate Bill 790. Receiving the most attention is Senate Bill [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, Ballot Initiative, California, Chula Vista, Contra Costa Times, Kevin Dayton, Merced Sun-Star, Modesto Bee, North County Times, Oakland Tribune, Oceanside, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, Sacramento, Sacramento Bee, San Diego, SB 922, School Construction, State Legislation | Comments (0)

Strong Opposition Quickly Emerges to Union-Backed California Bills Suppressing Local Project Labor Agreement Bans

September 9, 2011 – 11:59 am

California State Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez took a bill about tuberculosis screening (Senate Bill 922) on the afternoon of Friday, September 2 and turned it into a bill that nullifies current and future Project Labor Agreement bans at local governments and cuts off state funds for charter cities that [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, Ballot Initiative, California, Chula Vista, Editorial, Kevin Dayton, Letter to the Editor, Oceanside, Op-Ed, PLA Video, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Sacramento, San Diego, San Diego Union Tribune, SB 922, School Construction, State Legislation, The Politics of PLAs, The Sacramento News & Review | Comments (1)

Unions Unveil Last-Minute Legislative Schemes in California to End Local Fair and Open Competition Policies and Promote Project Labor Agreements

September 6, 2011 – 8:04 am

On the afternoon of September 2 – the Friday before Labor Day weekend – the California State Building and Construction Trades Council finally revealed its plot to terminate local efforts throughout the state to guarantee the best quality construction at the best price for taxpayers. Bills in the California State Legislature were “gutted and amended” [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 20 in 2010, ABC California, Ballot Initiative, California, Chula Vista, City of Los Angeles, Greenmail, Kevin Dayton, local legislation, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Oceanside, Open Competition, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Prop G, Prop K, Proposition A, San Diego, San Diego County Taxpayers Association, San Gabriel Unified School District, SavePropS.com, SB 922, School Construction, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District | Comments (2)

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 [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, California, Department of Transportation, Executive Order 13502, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transportation Administration, Kevin Dayton, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Public Transportation, Sacramento, The Politics of PLAs | Comments (0)

Voters in City of Sacramento and County of Sacramento Asked to Ensure Fair and Open Competition for Construction Contracts

June 10, 2011 – 10:28 am

On Thursday, June 9, a group of local contractors, construction workers, business associations, and taxpayer advocates held a press conference announcing the launch of an audacious campaign to win voter approval of two ballot measures that would ensure fair and open competition for taxpayer-funded construction contracts in the City of Sacramento and in the County [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, Ballot Initiative, California, Greenmail, Kevin Dayton, local legislation, Open Competition, PLAs, PLAs Increase Costs, Sacramento | Comments (0)

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Crushes Fair and Open Competition for Hospital Project

May 25, 2011 – 3:43 pm

The seven-month battle at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors over requiring contractors to sign the county’s first government-mandated project labor agreement (renamed on the May 24 agenda as a “Community Workforce Agreement”) came to an end today (May 24, 2011) with a regrettable result for county taxpayers, as well as businesses and their [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, California, Community Workforce Agreement, Hospital Construction, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, PLA Loss, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (1)

New California Legislation Targets Union Abuse of Environmental Laws Meant to Squeeze Project Labor Agreements Out of Private Developers

April 11, 2011 – 4:00 pm

When Governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, (now comprising California Public Resources Code Sections 21000-21177) into law in 1970, many California state legislators believed the law would only apply to public projects, such as highways. The courts decided otherwise, and now unions routinely victimize private developers by abusing and exploiting [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Assembly Bill 598, California, California Environmental Quality Act, California Unions for Reliable Energy (CURE), Greenmail, PLAs, Project Labor Agreements | Comments (0)

It’s Out in the Open: Project Labor Agreement a Costly Possibility for San Diego Convention Center Expansion

March 11, 2011 – 10:05 am

The Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction (CFEC) held a press conference on February 22 to oppose the rumored plan to require contractors to sign a project labor agreement (PLA) to work on construction of the proposed $700 million San Diego Convention Center Expansion. Accompanied by more than 50 construction workers, the organization unveiled its [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, California, California Environmental Quality Act, Chula Vista, Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction, Gaylord Hotel, Kevin Dayton, PLA Video, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, San Diego | Comments (0)

Why Are Project Labor Agreements Popular with Corrupt, Mismanaged, Fiscally Irresponsible Governments?

March 10, 2011 – 7:47 am

In California, project labor agreements (PLAs) go hand-in-hand with incompetent, unaccountable governments. Find a school district with low test scores that is close to bankruptcy. Or find a local government with a massive budget deficit and huge unfunded pension liability for its public employees. Or find a local government that holds its elections on oddball [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, California, City Construction, City of Los Angeles, Corruption, Kevin Dayton, LA Times, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Community College District, Los Angeles County, PLA Axioms, PLAs, PLAs Increase Costs | Comments (0)