National Black Chamber Of Commerce | The Truth About PLAs

House Defends Principles of Fair and Open Competition with Passage of Amendment Restricting Government-Mandated PLAs on NDAA Authorized Projects

May 21, 2012 – 12:23 pm

It was a historic week for the merit shop contracting community in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thursday, by a bipartisan vote of 211 to 209, the House passed an amendment offered by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) and cosponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013 [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AGC, American Council of Engineering Companies, Business Coalition for Fair Competition (BCFC), Construction Industry Round Table, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, House PLA Votes, Independent Electrical Contractors, Merit Elevator Contractors Association of America, National Association of Women in Construction, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, National Right to Work, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Rep. Flake, Rep. Gingrey, Rep. Guinta, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Rep. Tim Walberg, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Sullivan, The Politics of PLAs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Women Construction Owners and Executives | Comments (3)

U.S. House Appropriations Committee Passes Amendment Restoring Fair and Open Competition on MilCon/VA Construction Contracts

May 16, 2012 – 6:36 pm

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations on May 16 passed an amendment via voice vote to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon/VA) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013 that prevents federal agencies from requiring contractors to sign anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of winning federal construction contracts. [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AGC, American Council of Engineering Companies, Business Coalition for Fair Competition (BCFC), Construction Industry Round Table, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, House PLA Votes, Independent Electrical Contractors, Merit Elevator Contractors Association of America, National Association of Women in Construction, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Rep. Flake, Rep. LaTourette, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Women Construction Owners and Executives | Comments (0)

Diverse Coalition of Construction Industry Associations and Employer Groups Oppose Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements

June 14, 2011 – 12:14 pm

A diverse coalition of construction industry associations and employer groups oppose government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and anti-competitive PLA preferences used by federal agencies as a result of President Obama’s pro-PLA Executive Order 13502 and related regulations. During the 112th Congress, these groups have sent numerous coalition letters to the House and Senate in support of legislation [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abc, AGC, American Council of Engineering Companies, Associated Builders and Contractors, Construction Industry Round Table, Electrical, Electronic Security Association, H.R. 735, Hearing, House PLA Votes, Merit Elevator Contractors Association of America, National Association of Government Contractors (NAGC), National Association of Minority Contractors, National Association of Women in Construction, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, National Stone, NUCA Representing Utility and Excavation Contractors, S. 119, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, The Government Neutrality in Contracting Act, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. House Hearing, Women Construction Owners and Executives | Comments (0)

Coalition Supports Legislation Creating Fair And Open Competition For Federal Construction Contracts

May 3, 2011 – 1:44 pm

Jan. 25, Sen. David Vitter (R.-La.) introduced the Government Neutrality in Contracting Act (S. 119) (pdf), a measure that will protect taxpayers and ensure fair and open competition on government construction contracts by prohibiting the government from mandating anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal and federally assisted construction projects. Today, the following groups [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Construction Industry Round Table, Electronic Security Association, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Federal Legislation, Grassroots, Independent Electrical Contractors, Legislation, Merit Elevator Contractors Association of America, National Association of Minority Contractors, National Association of Women in Construction, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, National Utility Contractors Association, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, S. 119, Sen. Vitter, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Sullivan, Take Action, The Government Neutrality in Contracting Act, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, USA (WCOE), Women Construction Owners and Executives | Comments (0)

Telling the Truth About PLAs on The Daily Caller: Big Labor’s $3.3 Million Tip

December 10, 2010 – 10:51 am

Word is getting out about the Obama administration’s $3.3 million gift to Big Labor. It appears Christmas came early for Washington, D.C. union bosses, when the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) paid a federal contractor at least $3.3 million to execute a change order adding a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) to a [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Federal Legislation, Harry Alford, Labor studies, Lafayette Building, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Veterans Administration | Comments (0)

Money For Nothin’

December 10, 2010 – 6:24 am

Bret Jacobson, a blogger on BigGovernment.com, reminds readers (Our Dire Straits: Money For Nothin’, 12/9/10) of a story reported earlier this week about taxpayer waste on the renovation of the Lafayette Federal Building in downtown Washington D.C. As regular readers remember, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) paid a federal contractor at least $3.3 million as [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, Big Labor, BigGovernment.com, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Harry Alford, Lafayette Building, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Veterans Administration, Washington DC, Washington Examiner | Comments (0)

Millions of Stimulus Dollars Wasted on Lafayette Building’s Project Labor Agreement Gift to Big Labor

December 6, 2010 – 6:38 am

How much does a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) add to a $52.3 million construction project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) in Washington, D.C.? At least $3.3 million. That’s the cost of a change order the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) paid to a federal contractor to ensure renovations to the [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Big Labor, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, Harry Alford, Lafayette Building, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, The Politics of PLAs, Washington DC, Washington Examiner | Comments (8)

National Black Chamber of Commerce Attacks Union Barriers to Black Employment in Construction

November 5, 2010 – 10:37 am

Harry Alford, National Black Chamber of Commerce president and frequent critic of discriminatory and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) penned another column trashing PLAs that will run in numerous newspapers across the country this week. The piece attacks special interest schemes similar to PLAs that funnel taxpayer-funded construction jobs to union members and away from the [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Congressional Black Caucus, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Harry Alford, Helpers, Minority Contracting, National Black Chamber of Commerce, Op-Ed, PLAs, PLAs Discriminate, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Salting | Comments (1)

Congressional Testimony Says Project Labor Agreements Harm Minority Contractors and Employees

October 26, 2010 – 8:27 am

On Sept 22, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Management, Organization, and Procurement held a hearing called, “Minority Contracting: Opportunities and Challenges for Current and Future Minority-Owned Businesses.” Testimony (pdf) of Anthony W. Robinson, president of the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF) pointed to union-favoring government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) as [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Executive Order 13502, Federal Contracting, Harry Alford, Hearing, Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF), National Association of Minority Contractors, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, U.S. House Hearing, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (1)

Think Tank Attacks Project Labor Agreement Discrimination

September 29, 2010 – 8:09 am

Jim Waters, vice president of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free-market think tank, penned an interesting column about the discriminatory nature of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). Here is an excerpt from “Local PLAs bite the hand feeding the beast,” 9/24: Prejudice at the lunch counter may have disappeared, but other types of discrimination remain alive [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AGC, Bluegrass Institute, Carter County, Executive Order 13502, Federal Contracting, Harry Alford, Kentucky, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, School Construction, The Politics of PLAs | Comments (1)