Kevin Dayton | The Truth About PLAs - Part 2

Author Archives: Kevin Dayton

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)

Minority Contractors and Business Associations Take Leadership Role in Fighting Project Labor Agreements in California Coastal Cities

March 9, 2011 – 9:47 am

Minority contractors and minority business associations in California are taking a political leadership role in Los Angeles and Oakland to oppose proposed project labor agreements (PLAs). LOS ANGELES COUNTY On March 1, 2011, Small Business United (SBU), described as “a coalition of small business groups and professional associations representing a diverse set of constituencies from [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abc, ABC California, California, Green Jobs, Housing, Kevin Dayton, Light Rail, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Oakland, PLA Video, PLAs, PLAs Discriminate, Press Release, Small Business | Comments (0)

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Votes 3-0 to Reject Union Appeal of Solar Project

February 9, 2011 – 5:29 am

At its February 8, 2011 meeting, the San Bernardino County (California) Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to reject a scheme by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 477 to block a permit to build a 40-megawatt solar photovoltaic generating facility in the Mojave Desert, near Kramer Junction. The San Bernardino County Planning Commission [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, California, California Environmental Quality Act, Green Jobs, Greenmail, IBEW, Kevin Dayton, LA Times, Los Angeles, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Solar Power, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (0)

Los Angeles Times Exposes How Unions Misuse Environmental Laws to Block Solar Projects and Extract Project Labor Agreements

February 6, 2011 – 12:46 am

An article in today’s Los Angeles Times (“Labor Coalition’s Tactics on Renewable Energy Projects Are Criticized” February 5, 2011) exposes how a union front group called California Unions for Reliable Energy (CURE) has exploited environmental laws to block permits for solar thermal power plants until the developers sign project labor agreements. Objecting to this environmental [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, California, Green Jobs, Greenmail, Kevin Dayton, LA Times, Los Angeles, PLAs, PLAs Increase Costs, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (2)