PLA Study | The Truth About PLAs - Part 2

ABC Wins Another Challenge Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements on Federal Construction Projects

January 6, 2011 – 10:32 am

TheTruthAboutPLAs.com is pleased to share a news release about ABC’s latest win against anti-competitive and costly federal government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). ABC, ABC members and TheTruthAboutPLAs.com continue to lead the fight against special interest PLA schemes on behalf of the construction industry, concerned taxpayers and supporters of the principles of fair and open competition [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Western Pennsylvania, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GAO, Lafayette Building, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, The Politics of PLAs, Veterans Administration, Washington DC, Washington Examiner | Comments (2)

New Jersey Letter to the Editor Tells the Truth About PLAs

November 9, 2010 – 1:35 pm

In an outstanding letter to the editor published by the Trenton Times (“Building a Case Against PLAs,” 11/8/10), ABC New Jersey Chapter president Patrick Stewart lays out the facts about wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs). And interestingly enough, he gets some help from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Here [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chris Christie, New Jersey, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs | Comments (2)

Op-Ed: Labor Agreements Raise Construction Costs

August 28, 2010 – 7:17 pm

In a guest op-ed published by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (“Labor Agreements Raise Construction Costs,” 8/28/10), Marci Miller of the Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors has some thoughts on the impact of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on local construction projects. Here are the highlights: Despite some claims to [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Empire State, Beacon Hill Institute, New York, Op-Ed, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, The Politics of PLAs | Comments (0)

Moorestown, NJ Rejects Wasteful and Discriminatory PLA for New Town Hall

July 13, 2010 – 12:09 pm

There is a new chapter in the public record of poor performance of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). Facing bid prices that were at least 35 percent higher than the proposed budget for the construction of a new town hall and library complex, the Moorestown Township Council decided to withdraw its requirement that all contractors [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chris Christie, local legislation, New Jersey, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Increase Costs, The Politics of PLAs | Comments (0)

Culver Campaign Fails to Understand How PLAs Harm Iowa Businesses

July 9, 2010 – 3:19 pm

The executive order signed earlier this year by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is becoming a gubernatorial campaign issue, as Republican challenger Terry Branstad and others critical of project labor agreements (PLAs) make the case that these anti-competitive schemes will hurt Iowa business and taxpayers (“Culver defends project labor agreements for public projects,” The Iowa Independent, [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2010 Election, Boston Harbor, Chet Culver, Iowa, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, State Executive Order | Comments (0)

The Truth About PLAs Exposed During DC Council Hearing

July 1, 2010 – 8:29 pm

The D.C. Council committees on Housing and Workforce Development and Government Operations held a joint hearing on June 30 to consider the District Resident Employment and Trade Stimulus Amendment Act of 2010 (Bill 18-650). This bill would require the use of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on all projects costing more than $200,000 [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, D.C. Council, Executive Order 13502, Hearing, local legislation, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington DC | Comments (0)

Columbus Dispatch Examines Value of PLAs, OSFC Director Loosens Corrupt Grip on Ohio Schools

June 30, 2010 – 11:01 am

With Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s appointed director of the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC), former Big Labor boss Richard Murray, under investigation for pushing school districts to use union-favoring project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of receiving funding from the OSFC, the media stands ready scrutinize these corrupt and wasteful agreements. A recent Columbus Dispatch points to evidence that PLAs in Ohio [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beacon Hill Institute, Columbus Dispatch, Cornell, David G. Tuerck, Fred Kotler, Ohio, Ohio School Facilities Commission, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Sidney Daily News, Study | Comments (1)

Why the Final Rule Implementing President Obama’s Project Labor Agreement Executive Order Should Be Challenged

April 21, 2010 – 12:01 pm

ABC General Counsel Maurice Baskin, Esq., Venable LLP, today released a thorough analysis of the final rule implementing President Obama’s Feb. 6, 2009 pro-project labor agreement (PLA) Executive Order 13502. The analysis, The Final Rule Implementing the PLA Executive Order: Why it Should Be Challenged, describes why and how the final rule is violating the law. [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Executive Order 13502, FAR Final Rule, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Legal Challenge, Maury Baskin, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Union-only PLAs harm local workers | Comments (1)

WSJ Editorial Blasts Obama Gift to Big Labor, Calls Project Labor Agreements “Crony Contracts”

April 14, 2010 – 1:05 am

Today’s Wall Street Journal editorial blasts President Obama’s pro-project labor agreement (PLA) Executive Order 13502 that was implemented into federal procurement regulations thanks to the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council’s final rule issued yesterday (“Crony Contracts. Want federal business? Better be a union shop.” 4/14). This editorial is one for the ages. Let’s hope federal agencies and [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beacon Hill Institute, Editorial, Executive Order 13502, FAR Final Rule, featured, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Maury Baskin, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Veterans Administration, Wall Street Journal | Comments (1)

Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements: A Form of Corruption

April 12, 2010 – 11:00 am

George Nash, director of commercial construction and development for Facchina Construction Co. and 2010 chairman of the board for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Metro Washington chapter, calls out project labor agreements (PLAs) for what they are – corruption – in an editorial published by the Washington Business Journal on April 9. This editorial mentions [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, D.C. Council, local legislation, Nationals Park PLA, PLA Study, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, Study, The Politics of PLAs, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington Business Journal, Washington DC | Comments (2)