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Gov. Patrick Pushes PLA on Whittier Memorial Bridge as Big Dig Costs Balloon to $24.3 Billion
Insanity is often described as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick (D) should revisit his position on a costly and unfortunate policy favoring construction trade unions or expect more waste, discrimination and insanity in the Bay State.
Last week, the ballooning costs of the Big Dig grabbed headlines while Gov. Patrick was criticized for restricting competition for construction contracts to build the $285 million Whittier Memorial Bridge across the Merrimack River to firms willing to sign a union-only government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA).
Meanwhile, last week state lawmakers learned Big Dig costs have mushroomed to more than $24.3 billion, harming the state’s ability to fund other critical transportation projects and create additional construction jobs. Funded by federal and Massachusetts taxpayers, the Big Dig is the most expensive and infamous government-mandated PLA job of all time.
First Project under Prince George’s County’s New Pro-PLA Policy a Disaster
Prince George’s County’s first attempt to implement a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandate under a November 15, 2011, policy (read the Prince George’s County press release on the policy here) is poised to be a costly disaster for county residents. Bids have been submitted for a fire station construction project in Brandywine, Md., [...]
Santa Fe City Council Delays Implementation of Discriminatory CWA/PLA Mandate
Last week, the Santa Fe City Council delayed the implementation of a wasteful and discriminatory community workforce agreement (CWA) mandate for all city projects costing more than $500,000 after city officials struggled to implement the requirement on a small firehouse renovation and expansion. They did not have any bidders willing to work under a PLA. [...]
Santa Fe Struggles to Implement CWA Mandate; Will Likely Delay Requirement’s Effective Date
Readers of this blog remember that earlier this year the Santa Fe City Council adopted a policy that requires the use of community workforce agreements (CWA) – a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) by another name – on all city projects costing more than $500,000. Since this requirement was adopted, the city negotiated [...]
GSA Wasted Millions on Union Handout: Where’s the Outrage?
Eight senior U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) officials have been disciplined, fired or forced to resign since last Monday’s release of a scathing report by GSA Inspector General (IG) Brian Miller, whose staff spent a year reviewing waste, fraud and abuse related to $823,000 in spending to entertain 300 GSA employees at a regional conference held at [...]
Boston Globe: Patrick Shouldn’t Bar Non-Union Workers on Longfellow Bridge
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.
San Diego Unified School District PLA Reduced Competition and Increased Costs
On Dec. 7, 2011, TheTruthAboutPLAs.com explained how government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) reduce competition and increase costs. Yesterday, the Free Enterprise Coalition released this press release (see below) about documents recently obtained from the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). They prove government-mandated PLAs reduce competition and increase costs. Note: SDUSD calls these union agreements Project Stabilization [...]
San Diego Unified School District PLA Fails to Meet Local Hiring Goals
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 [...]
Project Labor Agreement Mandate Reduces Competition and Increases Costs To Berkeley Taxpayers
The bid results from a public library renovation project in Berkeley, California provides the public with yet another example of a project subject to a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) that has suffered from increased construction costs and reduced competition from local qualified contractors and their skilled employees. After a second round of bidding, the [...]
Labor Secretary Solis Promotes Project Labor Agreements at Big Labor’s Infamous Hotel Boondoggle
It is no secret that U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis supports anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects. On Nov. 9, 2010, Solis made these remarks in support of PLAs and President Obama’s pro-PLA Executive Order 13502 to the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing [...]