local legislation

Great Scott: Projects Bid With and Without PLA Mandates Show PLAs Increase Costs and Reduce Competition

0 April 18, 2013  Featured, School Construction, State & Local Construction

GREAT SCOTT PLA MEME

While researching the use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) in West Virginia in advance of Wednesday’s deadline for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey about a potential PLA mandate on a large-scale federal project in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., TheTruthAboutPLAs.com went back in time to revisit another real-world example of how discriminatory PLA [...]

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Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Abandons Project Labor Agreement Policy; Instead Directs Staff to Negotiate Project Labor Agreement for Sonoma County Airport Expansion

1 September 21, 2012  State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

Opponents of a proposed Project Labor Agreement policy for Sonoma County rally on September 18, 2012

Without a vote, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors directed county staff on September 18, 2012 to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with unions and with the input of contractors for the planned $54 million expansion of the runways at the Charles M. Schultz Sonoma County Airport. Supervisors listed numerous items to be addressed in the negotiations [...]

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PLA Requirement Rescinded on NJ Vine Street School Project

0 July 31, 2012  School Construction, State & Local Construction

Courtesy of Wikipedia

There was an important story for taxpayers in Cumberland County, New Jersey last week, where freeholders voted to rescind a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) requirement for an upcoming project that would transform the Vine Street School into a new home for the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s office. Here are the highlights from The [...]

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Understanding Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements and the Law

0 July 7, 2012  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

The Supreme Court of the United States

Lawmakers, the media, taxpayers and members of the construction industry frequently inquire about government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and the law. They question how such blatant favoritism and cronyism is legal.  In the 1993 landmark Boston Harbor case, the Supreme Court of the United States held that government-mandated PLAs are not prohibited by the National Labor Relations [...]

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Michigan Again Bans PLA Mandates on Taxpayer-Funded Construction

0 July 2, 2012  State & Local Construction

June 2012 Website PLA Map

Determined to ensure that taxpayers get the best construction at the best price, Michigan’s elected leaders have again enacted legislation (Public Act 238) that will ensure government neutrality with regard to project labor agreements (PLAs) on taxpayer-funded construction in the Great Lakes state. Although Michigan adopted a similar bill in 2011, a federal district court [...]

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First Project under Prince George’s County’s New Pro-PLA Policy a Disaster

0 June 27, 2012  State & Local Construction

Brandywine Fire House

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., [...]

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Santa Fe City Council Delays Implementation of Discriminatory CWA/PLA Mandate

0 June 19, 2012  State & Local Construction

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.  [...]

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Santa Fe Struggles to Implement CWA Mandate; Will Likely Delay Requirement’s Effective Date

0 June 13, 2012  State & Local Construction

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 [...]

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Big Labor Claims Prove Unfounded

0 June 12, 2012  School Construction, State & Local Construction

busted

In the wake of the overwhelming voter support for Proposition A, which bans government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on city projects in San Diego, union boss Lorena Gonzalez has said repeatedly that Big Labor was outspent 7-1 by corporate interests supporting Proposition A. Here is a video of Gonzalez making the claim on a local [...]

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