Nonunion Workers Suffer Up to 34% in Wage Theft Under Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
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 […]
Los Angeles PLA Mandate Delivered Fewer Projects and Increased Construction Costs, Study Finds
A study published in August by the Rand Corporation found that a bond measure passed by voters in 2016 failed to deliver on its intended results, largely because of the existence of a project labor agreement. In 2016, voters in Los Angeles approved a bond measure, formally known as Proposition HHH, which allowed city housing […]
Study: Project Labor Agreement Mandates Inflate the Cost of Connecticut School Construction by 19.8%
Study: Connecticut schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 19.8% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements.
Study: Project Labor Agreement Mandates Inflate Cost of New Jersey School Construction by 16.25%
A study released in August by the Beacon Hill Institute found that New Jersey schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 16.25% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements. The study, which looked at 107 schools built in New Jersey since 2002, found that those built under […]
Project Labor Agreements Raise Costs on Ohio Schools 13 Percent, Study Finds
A study by the Beacon Hill Institute has shown that when mandated by the government on taxpayer-funded construction projects, project labor agreements (PLAs) increase the costs of construction 13.12 percent. The study examined 88 schools across Ohio that were built since 2000 and found government-mandated PLAs cost $23.12 per square foot more (13.12 percent) than projects built […]
WSJ Project Labor Agreement Op-Ed: A Wisconsin Lesson for Trump the Builder
The Wall Street Journal editorial and op-ed pages have invested barrels of ink opposing anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). In numerous instances (see pieces at end of blog post) the WSJ editorial board has derided PLA mandates, calling them “crony contracts,” “a rotten deal for taxpayers,” and worse: “PLAs are a form of political bid-rigging that robs […]
The Truth About Project Labor Agreement Research
Lobbyists calling for the increased use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) have been referencing work by Kotler, Phillips, Belman, Bodah and Le that is critical of quantitative research that demonstrates the negative impact of anti-competitive PLA requirements on construction costs and taxpayers. These attacks, which have been referenced and discussed in inaccurate and biased PLA feasibility studies produced by Hill […]
WPRI 12 News Covers Rhode Island Project Labor Agreement Controversy
Just 18.6 percent of Rhode Island’s construction workforce belongs to a union, yet many large-scale state-funded projects have been subjected to anti-competitive government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). Last week, WPRI 12 News aired an in-depth look at PLAs in The Ocean State: Do PLA Requirements Increase Construction Costs? Greg Mancini, Director of BuildRI, a group funded by unionized […]
Keystone Research Center Studies Promoting Pennsylvania Project Labor Agreements Can’t Be Trusted
Proponents of discriminatory and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) have concocted some wild schemes to help misguided and corrupt lawmakers steer taxpayer-funded contracts to their union workers and unionized contractor political supporters with little competition and public scrutiny, but this latest caper from Bristol Township, Pa., is remarkable and deserves to be exposed. In August 2013, when […]
Research on Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
Read academic studies and reports to learn more about the failure of union-only government-mandated PLAs to control construction costs, increase work opportunities, prevent construction delays and improve safety, productivity or quality on construction projects.