Department Of General Services | The Truth About PLAs

U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to Examine Costly Government-Mandated PLAs

March 16, 2011 – 8:51 am

Today at 1:30 PM, the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee’s (chaired by Rep. Issa of California) Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending Subcommittee (chaired by Rep. Jordan of Ohio) is holding a hearing called, Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation: The Cost of Doing Business in the Construction Industry. The hearing will focus [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Department of General Services, Executive Order 13502, FAR Final Rule, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Hearing, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Maury Baskin, OMB Memo, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Legislation, Sullivan, The Government Neutrality in Contracting Act, The Politics of PLAs, U.S. House Hearing, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, VA, Virginia | Comments (0)

The Truth About the Recent PA Supreme Court Ruling

February 1, 2011 – 3:52 pm

The Pennsylvania Supreme Count issued a preliminary ruling on the Hawbaker, et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of General Services, et al. Several uninformed media outlets have indicated that this ruling is an endorsement of PLAs. This is not the case. This case stems from former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell administration’s effort to force PLA requirements [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Western Pennsylvania, Department of General Services, Legal Challenge, legal opinion, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Prisons, Project Labor Agreements, Rendell | Comments (0)

Lancaster County, PA Bans PLAs on Locally-Funded Projects

January 26, 2011 – 12:37 pm

In a move designed to defend taxpayers against potential future wasteful and discriminatory Big Labor handouts, Lancaster County, PA commissioners approved a measure that will prohibit project labor agreements (PLAs) on locally-funded construction projects. Here is a quote that sums up the issue by the measure’s sponsor, Chairman Scott Martin, as reported by FOX43 WPMT: [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Department of General Services, Gov. Tom Corbett, keystone, Lancaster Online, local legislation, penn, Pennsylvania, PLA Ban, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs | Comments (0)

Op-Ed: State’s Union-Friendly Deals Unfair, Too Costly

June 22, 2010 – 9:20 pm

In an op-ed published in the June 19 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled, “State’s Union-Friendly Deals Unfair, too Costly,” Stephen R. Campbell and Vicki Craft Kearns present a well-written overview of the project labor agreement (PLA) issue in Pennsylvania and nationwide. The op-ed also does an excellent job laying out how Big Labor’s support [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Department of General Services, Federal Legislation, Keystone Research Center, Op-Ed, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, Prisons, Rendell, State Legislation, The Politics of PLAs | Comments (0)

Building Pennsylvania: PLA Forum and Lt. Governor Debate

May 11, 2010 – 9:07 am

The Keystone Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors is holding a forum to discuss wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) as part of their May 11 Lt. Governors debate. This event is part of their Save the Endangered Species campaign to educate the public on the true impact of PLAs. TheTruthAboutPLAs.com’s Ben Brubeck is [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Commonwealth Foundation, Debate, Department of General Services, keystone, National Association of Minority Contractors, Pennsylvania, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, Prisons, Save the Endangered Species, The Politics of PLAs, TV Coverage | Comments (0)

Rendell Administration Love Affair With Big Labor Stalls Prison Construction Projects and Slows Job Growth for Pennsylvanians

March 17, 2010 – 1:20 pm

There is renewed interest in the delayed construction of over $800 million worth of prison construction in Pennsylvania. As regular readers of TheTruthAboutPLAs.com remember, Gov. Ed Rendell (D) promised the Pennsylvania construction unions in 2008 that the Department of General Services (DGS) would require contractors to sign wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) in [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Benner Township, Department of General Services, Pennsylvania, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Increase Costs, PLAs Kill Jobs, Prisons, Rendell, Rockview, Save the Endangered Species, State Legislation, The Politics of PLAs | Comments (2)

Do PLAs Reward Special Interests?

March 9, 2010 – 12:01 am

TheTruthAboutPLAs.com has long maintained that government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) are one of the purest forms of payback to special interests. Sometimes it is hard to believe that PLAs are even legal. And as this example will demonstrate, elected officials go to great lengths to justify their paybacks to special interests. Matthew J. Brouillette, president [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Benner Township, Centre County, Commonwealth Foundation, Department of General Services, Keystone Research Center, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, PLA Basics, PLA Fact, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, Prisons, Project Labor Agreements, Rendell, Rockview, The Philadelphia Independent, Union Propaganda Machine | Comments (0)

Delays and Increased Construction Costs Plague PA Prison

March 4, 2010 – 5:40 am

Pennsylvania’s Graterford Prison project labor agreement (PLA) controversy is in the Philadelphia newspapers again. No progress has been made on the construction of this important project. Looking for something to blame? It’s the PLA, stupid! Looking for someone to blame? Blame Big Labor’s lobbyists for pushing costly, job-killing special interest PLAs and blame public officials for allowing these [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Commonwealth Foundation, Department of General Services, Graterford, Legal Challenge, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, PLA victim, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Prisons, Project Labor Agreements, Rendell, The Pennsylvania Independent, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (0)

Pennsylvania State Senator Lloyd Smucker On PLAs

February 23, 2010 – 4:03 pm

Pennsylvania Senator Lloyd Smucker got a chance to offer his thoughts on wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) at a Feb. 16 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing with Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary James Creedon and Dep. Secretary for Procurement/Appropriations Anne Rung. As regular readers recall, DGS lead on effort on behalf of the [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Department of General Services, Hearing, Pennsylvania, PLAs, PLAs Increase Costs, Prisons, Rendell, Rockview, Save the Endangered Species, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (0)

PA Hearing on Open Contracting Act Legislation Today

December 9, 2009 – 7:25 am

Today the Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee will hold a hearing on project labor agreements (PLAs) and legislation (House Bill 2010, The Open Contracting Act) introduced by Reps. Stan Saylor (R-York) and John Bear (R-Lancaster) that would prohibit government-mandated PLAs on PA and PA-funded construction projects. The committee is scheduled to hear testimony from stakeholders [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Department of General Services, Pennsylvania, PLAs, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Rep. John Bear, Save the Endangered Species, Saylor, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (1)