Taxpayers Win Big Without Federal Project Labor Agreement on New Hampshire Job Corps Center
Taxpayers will save more than $6 million on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Manchester, New Hampshire, Job Corps Center project thanks to the benefits of fair and open competition free from anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). This important example of a federal project bid with and without a PLA requirement undermines [...]
The Top 10 Stories of 2012
Happy New Year from TheTruthAboutPLAs.com In 2012, construction industry advocates of fair and open competition in public contracting defied a difficult political environment and economy to create more opportunities for qualified merit shop contractors and their skilled employees. President Obama’s Feb. 6, 2009, Executive Order 13502 encouraging federal agencies to mandate project labor agreements (PLAs) [...]
Update: Manchester’s U.S. DOL Job Corps Center To Proceed Free From Project Labor Agreement Scheme
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has confirmed the elimination of a controversial project labor agreement (PLA) mandate on its estimated $35 million Job Corps Center in Manchester, N.H., when it issued a solicitation yesterday for construction services without discriminatory and costly PLA mandate or preference requirements. The Associated Press picked up this story, which will run [...]
Victory: Manchester’s U.S. DOL Job Corps Center To Proceed Free From Project Labor Agreement Scheme
Last week the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) confirmed the elimination of a controversial project labor agreement (PLA) mandate on its estimated $20 million to $50 million Job Corps Center in Manchester, N.H., when it issued a pre-solicitation for construction services without discriminatory and costly PLA mandate or preference language. When mandated by government entities, [...]
ABC Declares Victory as Federal Government Withdraws Project Labor Agreement
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is declaring victory in its fight for open competition and taxpayer value on federal construction projects. ABC issued the following press release earlier today: ABC DECLARES VICTORY AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWS PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C. – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced another victory in its fight against government-mandated [...]
Union Favor on Federal Construction Project in New Hampshire Draws Criticism
This week, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) grabbed headlines with her public opposition to President Obama’s discriminatory policy, Executive Order 13502, favoring union contractors and union members competing for federal construction contracts. In a press release and letter to the White House issued Monday, Sen. Ayotte asked President Obama to repeal his pro-union Executive Order 13502 and [...]
Labor Department to Mandate Controversial Project Labor Agreement on Manchester Job Corps Center
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a pre-solicitation on Dec. 22, 2011, for a $20 million to $50 million DOL Job Corps Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, indicating the project will be subject to an anti-competitive and costly project labor agreement (PLA) mandated by the DOL. Bidding is open only to certified small business [...]
Congressman Frank Guinta Submits Continuing Resolution Amendment Promoting Fair and Open Competition for the Procurement of Federal Construction Contracts
According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, yesterday U.S. Representative Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) filed an amendment pertaining to government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on the Continuing Resolution legislation currently being debated on the House floor that would fund the federal government from March 4 through Sept. 30, the end of the current federal fiscal year (“Guinta: [...]
Manchester’s Stalled Federal Job Corps Center Raised in New Hampshire Gubernatorial Campaign
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) cancelled its solicitation Nov. 2009 for bids to construct a new Job Corps Center in Manchester, N.H. The solicitation contained a crony contracting scheme called a project labor agreement (PLA) that would funnel construction contracts to unionized contractors. It was the first time a federal agency attempted a government-mandated PLA on a federal construction project since [...]
GSA Admits Jumping the Gun with PLA Gift to Unions?
Washington Examiner Beltway Confidential columnist Barbara Hollingsworth covered the controversial project labor agreement (PLA) on a federal construction project in Washington, D.C. that has been in the news (GSA Admits Jumping the Gun with PLA Gift to Unions, 12/28). The General Services Administration admitted it made a mistake when it placed a non-competitive, cost-raising, union-pleasing Project Labor Agreement [...]