March 30, 2012 – 12:01 pm
Two taxpayer-funded bridge projects in Mass. illustrates the stark contrast between the benefits of fair and open competition versus anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) advanced by well-connected special interests. The Boston Globe published a scathing editorial opposed to a PLA mandate on the $260 million reconstruction of the Longfellow Bridge in Mass. (“Patrick shouldn’t bar [...]
By Ben Brubeck
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Big Dig, Boston Globe, Editorial, Gov. Patrick, Longfellow Bridge, Massachusetts, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Strikes, UMASS
|
The Boston Herald published another editorial opposed to government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) last week. It longed for the day Mass. officials enact legislation ensuring that all qualified contractors and their skilled employees have a fair opportunity to compete and win state-funded construction contracts (“End Unpopular Pacts,” 7/27/11): The Wall Street Journal recently tallied up the [...]
On April, 18 Laborers Union (LIUNA) Local 657 and other members and paid astroturfers guests of the Washington Metropolitan Council, AFL-CIO, bused in disruptive protestors from Washington, D.C., and Maryland to crash a press conference held by U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf concerning $3.5 billion worth of construction for Phase 2 of the Dulles Metro Rail project [...]
By Ben Brubeck
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Big Dig, Campaign, Construction Industry Labor Management Trust Fund, Dennis Martire, Dulles Corridor Committee, Dulles Transit Partners, Editorial, Fairfax Times, Labor Union Report, Laborers Employers Cooperation & Education Trust, Laborers International Union of North America, Leesburg Today, LIUNA, Loudoun County, Loudoun Times, Maryland, Metro Washington Airport Authority, MWAA, PLA Video, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, Project Labor Agreements, protest, Rep. Wolf, Scott York, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, VA, Virginia, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Washington DC, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, WilburSmith Associates, Wilson Bridge
|
September 11, 2010 – 9:35 am
Big Labor Bosses and their hand-picked political puppets claim that anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements(PLAs) are in the public’s best interest. In reality, PLAs are crony contracting schemes implemented by corrupt elected officials that funnel lucrative public works contracts to union contractors and their union employees in exchange for political support. Taxpayers are [...]
Last week, a pair of editorials in Massachusetts newspapers questioned whether Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick learned anything from Boston’s experience with the government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) on the Big Dig after he endorsed a new PLA mandated by the UMass’s Building Authority board of directors on future university construction projects (The Salem News, “Our view: Has Big Dig taught [...]
The Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby blasts Mass. Gov. Patrick’s support of anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on Umass-Boston construction projects (“Labor agreements make no sense,” 6/27). THIS IS the kind of thing, Charlie Baker was saying one day last week, that “makes people crazy about state government.’’ The Republican gubernatorial candidate was [...]
By Ben Brubeck
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Big Dig, Boston Globe, Charles Baker, Gov. Patrick, Massachusetts, Op-Ed, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, Project Labor Agreements, The Politics of PLAs, UMASS
|
As reported in the Boston Globe here and here, this week the UMass Building Authority board of directors voted for a project labor agreement (PLA) on the Boston campus’ master plan, a 10-year blueprint with an estimated $750 million in future construction projects. The UMass Building Authority’s vote comes after Mass. Governor Deval Patrick pledged to unions that [...]
By Ben Brubeck
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Big Dig, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Charles Baker, Federal Contracting, Gov. Patrick, Massachusetts, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, UMASS, Union-only PLAs harm local workers
|
October 7, 2009 – 7:35 am
An Op-Ed critical of President Obama’s pro-project labor agreement (PLA) Executive Order 13502 by David G. Tuerck, chairman and professor of economics and executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) at Suffolk University, ran in today’s Boston Globe (“Obama Kowtows to Labor Unions,” 10/7). Professor Tuerck, author of a new BHI study called ”Project Labor Agreements [...]
By Ben Brubeck
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Beacon Hill Institute, Big Dig, Boston Globe, David G. Tuerck, Executive Order 13502, Massachusetts, Op-Ed, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, Project Labor Agreements
|
Our post about the San Diego Union-Tribune’s anti-PLA editorial reminded me of an anti-PLA editorial published by the Boston Herald (“Stimulus for some,” 4/8/09) a few weeks prior to the launch of TheTruthAboutPLAs.com. The Herald’s excellent editorial came on the heels of an AP story about Mass. considering PLAs on projects funded by the federal stimulus [...]
By Ben Brubeck
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Beacon Hill Institute, Big Dig, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, David G. Tuerck, Editorial, Gov. Patrick, Letter to the Editor, Massachusetts, Op-Ed, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, Project Labor Agreements, Study
|
