April 2022 Update: ABC’s Fight Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements Continues
Since President Biden signed Executive Order 14063, Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, on Feb. 4, 2022, mandating project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more, numerous lawmakers and taxpayer and business groups have renewed fierce opposition to the Biden administration’s push for government-mandated PLAs on both federal […]
How Will The 2020 Election Shape Federal Policy on Project Labor Agreements?
The construction industry is watching the outcome of the 2020 elections closely as it will shape federal policy regarding government-mandated project labor agreements and other hot-button labor and employment issues of importance to the construction industry.
Virginia Delays Enactment of Prevailing Wage and PLA Mandate Laws Until May 2021
During its annual reconvene/veto session April 22, the Virginia General Assembly agreed with Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and delayed the effective date of two laws permitting prevailing wage and project labor agreement requirements on taxpayer-funded public works projects. The General Assembly originally sent these bills, passed via party line votes, to the desk of Gov. […]
New York Post Editorial Exposes Mayor’s Project Labor Agreement Scam Sleight of Hand
The New York Post editorial board probably won’t be getting a Christmas card from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) or NYC construction union bosses any time soon after they ran this editorial calling out the mayor for not substantiating promised savings from sweetheart deals on city construction projects with construction labor unions called […]
New York Post Op-Ed Zings NY Gov. Cuomo for Shameless Pay-to-PLA Pledge
The New York Post published an op-ed by ABC Empire State Chapter President Brian Sampson (“How union construction privileges bleed taxpayers dry,” 6/8), blasting New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for his outrageous promise to union bosses and members at the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York’s May 8th rally as part of […]
BLS: Construction Industry Union Membership Declines
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) annual union membership report released today, the 2015 union membership rate (i.e., the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions) dipped slightly from 13.9 percent in 2014 to 13.2 percent of the U.S. private construction workforce. In addition, construction unions lost 28,000 members in a year-over-year comparison, despite […]
NYC Union Strike Shuts Down Project Labor Agreement Jobsites Again
Earlier this month, New York City jobsites were shut down after unions failed to honor their project labor agreement’s (PLA) no-strike promise. It is at least the third time since 2011 various NYC unions blatantly violated no-strike provisions in controversial PLAs, which steer construction contracts to unionized contractors and provide jobs exclusively for union members […]
Construction Unions Add Members, but Percentage of Unionized Construction Workforce Declines
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) annual union membership report released today, the union membership rate (i.e., the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions) dipped slightly from 14.1 percent to 13.9 percent of the U.S. private construction workforce from 2013 to 2014. However, construction unions gained 53,000 members in a year-over-year comparison. This […]
California Legislature Poised to Issue First Local PLA Mandate in State History
The California Legislature is set to break new ground and taxpayers should be very concerned. For the first time in state history, the Legislature is posed to require a local government entity to mandate a project labor agreement (PLA) on a local construction project. If Assembly Bill 155, sponsored by Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D), is […]
Project Labor Agreement Fails On Tappan Zee Bridge Construction; Jobs Outsourced to Robots
The $3.9 billion project to replace New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge is being built by union labor and robots. The $3.1 billion construction contract is subject to a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) pushed by Albany’s pro-union lawmakers and New York Gov. Cuomo (D) because it will result in a huge windfall of political contributions to the Empire […]