Virginia General Assembly Sends Project Labor Agreement and Prevailing Wage Legislation to Gov. Northam – Take Action
Virginia’s General Assembly has sent legislation to Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk that will needlessly increase the cost of taxpayer-funded public works construction projects, discourage competition from Virginia’s construction workforce and businesses. In addition, the legislation will steer contracts to out-of-state workers and firms instead of creating opportunities for certified small, women and minority contractors to […]
Virginia Considers Legislation Requiring Project Labor Agreements and Prevailing Wage on Public Works Construction
Legislation in Virginia’s General Assembly will lead to tax hikes or fewer public works construction projects procured by the Commonwealth’s state and local governments. In addition, it will needlessly increase construction costs and steer contracts to out-of-state unionized businesses and unionized workers at the expense of Virginia’s construction industry.
ABC Member Tells The Truth About Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements on Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding
Here’s an update on the controversial New Jersey legislation that would allow union-only mandates on post-Hurricane Sandy construction projects. Yesterday afternoon, Fox News Channel’s Megyn Kelly interviewed ABC Northeast Region Chair Kirby Wu about the potential for union-favoring government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on Hurricane Sandy cleanup projects due to NJ Senate bill 2425. Besides serving as […]
California Supreme Court Sides with Charter Cities on Prevailing Wage; Decision Could Impact Local PLA Neutrality Laws
In a landmark decision, the California Supreme Court on July 2 upheld the right of California’s 121 charter cities to establish their own policies governing when to apply the state’s prevailing wage law to city construction projects. In this case, the city of Vista asserted that by becoming a charter city, it had the ability […]
Michigan Lawmakers Seek Labor Reform
As part of a survey of the labor reforms proposed in the Great Lakes State in 2011, The Daily Caller recognized that lawmakers are also taking on government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) too. Here are the highlights (Our emphasis added): Republicans control both houses of the Michigan legislature and the governor’s mansion, but passage of any […]
Letter to the Editor: Project Labor Agreement Hinders Banks Work
In a May 25 letter to the editor (“Project Labor Agreement Hinders Banks Work,” 5/25/10) published by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Robert Strobel of Lithko Contracting, Inc. points out the real reason that Big Labor is pushing for PLAs on all future Banks riverfront development projects. Here is the letter to the editor: Project Labor Agreements […]
San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board: We endorse Proposition G
In a May 8 editorial (“Vote Yes on G in Chula Vista,” May 8), the San Diego Union-Tribune urged Chula Vista voters to support Proposition G, which would prohibit wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on city funded construction projects. Proposition G is on the ballot on June 8, although mail-in voting is scheduled […]
Federal Contractor Debunks Big Labor Argument That Project Labor Agreements Are Only Road To High Wages and Benefits
Aleksandra Kulczuga’s article at The Daily Caller, “Obama Administration Hands Down Rule Limiting Contract Bidding to Union Shops,” interviews an employee of a federal and state contractor who debunks common pro-PLA arguments relying on the fallacy that PLAs guarantee high wages and benefits on federal construction projects: “As a public works company we’re already required to […]
Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO President Argues McDonalds Employees Only Earn $50 an Hour
A quote in a recent Washington Business Journal article indicates that Joslyn Williams, president of the AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, believes McDonald’s employees earn $50 an hour (“Bill heats up battle over required use of union labor,” 2/28/10). “The city has to decide whether it wants people working on its construction projects to earn only ‘McDonald’s wages,’” said Joslyn Williams, […]
The Perils of Slavish Devotion to Organized Labor
In a 7/19 commentary, part of a Pittsburgh Tribune series on how to fix Pennsylvania’s economy, Jake Haulk from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy and Matthew J. Brouillette from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives don’t hold back in outlining the negative impact of big labor’s “political stranglehold on legislation in Pennsylvania despite representing less than two […]