pensions

Nonunion Workers Suffer Up to 34% in Wage Theft Under Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements

0 October 22, 2021  Featured, Federal Construction

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22—Associated Builders and Contractors today calls attention to a new report that highlights the negative economic impact of controversial government-mandated project labor agreements on nonunion construction workers, who comprise 87.3% of the construction industry workforce. The study found that the limited number of nonunion craft professionals permitted to work on construction projects subject […]

READ MORE

Many Construction Industry Multiemployer Pension Plans Remain in Financial Distress

0 May 28, 2020  Featured

Merit shop contractors are typically wary of competing for taxpayer-funded construction contracts which are subject to government-mandated project labor agreements. Often their main concern is the viability of defined benefit multiemployer pension plans, which expose their businesses to potentially catastrophic MEPP liability. Information about the health of construction industry MEPPs provided by the U.S. Department of […]

READ MORE

DOL Website Shows Some Construction Industry Pension Plans Remain in Financial Trouble

2 January 30, 2019  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

Following this week’s post at TheTruthAboutPLAs.com about pensions and government-mandated project labor agreements, The Project Labor Agreement and Troubled Union Multiemployer Pension Plan Nexus, ABC’s Newsline published this article Jan. 30, 2019, Some Construction Industry Pension Plans Remain in Financial Trouble, about multi-employer pension plans. Merit shop contractors are typically wary of competing for taxpayer-funded construction […]

READ MORE

The Project Labor Agreement and Troubled Union Multiemployer Pension Plan Nexus

0 January 28, 2019  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

Construction unions attempt to entice merit shop craft professionals and new construction industry workers and apprentices into joining a union with promises of generous retirement benefits via multiemployer pension plans. Construction unions lobby elected officials in charge of procuring taxpayer-funded construction projects with arguments on why union contractors and union workers deserve special treatment through various […]

READ MORE

Many Construction Industry Multiemployer Pension Plans Remain Severely Underfunded

3 July 1, 2013  Featured, Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

Construction unions attempt to entice merit shop craft professionals and young workers into joining a union with promises of generous retirement benefits through multi-employer pension plans (MEPPs). They also convince elected officials in charge of procuring taxpayer-funded construction projects why union contractors and union workers deserve special treatment through various schemes like government-mandated project labor […]

READ MORE

The Dismal Future of Construction Industry Multiemployer Pension Plans

1 April 23, 2012  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

A new report shining light on the dreadful health of multi-employer pension plans (MEPPs) for U.S. union workers and retirees estimates such plans are only 52 percent funded, with a $369 billion shortfall. MEPPs in the construction industry are responsible for a significant amount of pension shortfalls.

Construction MEPPs are responsible for about $167 billion (or 47 percent) worth of PBGC-insured MEPP underfunding. Abd it could get worse. Fifty-five percent of the 1,488 MEPPs insured by the PBGC are in the construction industry. The largest number of employees from any industry, about 3.885 million or 37.4 percent of all PBGC-insured MEPP participants (workers and retirees), are from the construction industry.

READ MORE

Workers Injured on San Fran Union-Only Construction Jobsite Financed by Union Pension Fund

0 September 5, 2011  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

Last week four union construction workers were seriously injured in an accident at the $40 million Potrero Launch apartment project in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood (“Four hospitalized after SF construction accident,” 8/31/11): The roof support structure gave way and collapsed onto three workers below, who were in a stairwell on the sixth floor, he said. […]

READ MORE

American Spectator: Employers and Workers Lose Out Under Project Labor Agreements

0 June 3, 2010  Federal Construction, Uncategorized

An article in the American Spectator explains why anti-competitive project labor agreement (PLA) schemes and President Obama’s pro-PLA Executive Order 13502 are a bad deal for employees and employers in the construction industry (“Employers and Workers Lose Out Under Project Labor Agreements,” 6/2). Labor bosses who have failed to secure pension obligations for their membership have successfully schemed […]

READ MORE

ABC Western Pennsylvania Chapter News Release: Potential PLA Would Cost McKeesport Taxpayers More

1 June 2, 2010  School Construction, State & Local Construction

In a May 27 press release, the Western Pennsylvania chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced that they held a meeting on May 26 with the McKeesport Area School District Building and Grounds Committee to discuss the negative impact of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs). The release also outlines some of the […]

READ MORE

Government Project Labor Agreement Mandates Harm Small Businesses

1 June 2, 2010  Federal Construction, Uncategorized

Last week the federal government celebrated National Small Business Week.  Over at TownHall.com, the Workforce Fairness Institute’s Katie Packer wrote about government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) when describing how “the Obama Administration’s support for proposals that result in forced unionization could lead to the extinction of these very same businesses” (“Obama Administration’s Small Business Policies […]

READ MORE