MI Open Competition Act Protecting Taxpayers and Merit Shop Construction Workers

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed S.B.165 on July 19 and it is already having an impact for taxpayers and the vast majority of the construction workforce that chooses not to join a labor union. This week, Wayne State University cancelled an RFP for the renovation of a softball locker room that contained a requirement that [...]

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

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 [...]

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

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 [...]

Breaking: Michigan and Maine Legislatures Pass PLA Bans

Today is a huge day for those who think free enterprise and open competition should determine how taxpayer-funded construction contracts are awarded in America. Lawmakers in Maine and Michigan passed bills that ban government-mandated PLAs on state funded construction.  Once they are signed into law, they will ensure that taxpayers get the best construction at the [...]

State Lawmakers Show U.S. House the Way Forward

Despite a setback at the federal level, the drive for taxpayer value on public construction continued at the state level last week with several key states taking important actions. First, the Louisiana Legislature approved legislation that would ban government-mandated PLAs on all state and local construction in the state. This bill, S.B. 76, received bi-partisan [...]

Michigan Lawmakers Seek Labor Reform

As part of a survey of the labor reforms proposed in the Great Lakes State in 2011, The Daily Caller recognized that lawmakers are also taking on government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) too. Here are the highlights (Our emphasis added): Republicans control both houses of the Michigan legislature and the governor’s mansion, but passage of any [...]

Another State Legislative Committee in Michigan Approves Bill to Ban Government-Mandated PLAs

The Michigan House Commerce Committee approved legislation yesterday to prohibit wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated project labor agreements on state and local projects.  The committee approved H.B. 4287 by a 12-7 vote.  This bill now awaits consideration from the full House. The Michigan Senate has also taken up the PLA issue and S.B. 165, which is [...]

Telling the Truth About PLAs on Radio

Chris Fisher, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, appeared this morning on Tony Conley’s radio show on 1320 WILS in Lansing, MI to discuss legislation to prohibit government-mandated project labor agreements on taxpayer funded construction projects. Chris does an outstanding job explaining how PLAs negatively impact Michigan’s taxpayers and the 80 percent of [...]

Michigan Senate Committee Hears Bill to Guarantee Open Competition on Taxpayer Funded Work

The Michigan Senate Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing Committee heard S.B. 165 this morning, which would prohibit the state and local government entities from prohibiting or requiring contractors from entering into wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of performing public construction. The Lansing State Journal covered the hearing around mid-day today. The [...]

Open Competition Legislation on the Move!

There have been some big developments for proponents of fair and open competition around the country. It is clear that taxpayers from sea to shining sea are sick of their hard earned tax dollars funding special interest handouts in the form of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs). Last week, lawmakers in Idaho cleared [...]

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