April 19, 2012 – 12:05 pm
Last week, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) signed S.B. 1337, which is the legislature’s second attempt to ban wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandates on taxpayer-funded construction. The prior piece of legislation (S.B. 1006 of 2011) Gov. Otter signed on March 3, 2011 to ban these taxpayer-funded handouts was invalidated in December 2011 [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged Executive Order 13202, Gov. Terry Branstad, Idaho, Iowa, Lawsuit, Michigan, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, State Legislation
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September 20, 2011 – 10:32 am
Despite the attempts of lawmakers in California to override the will of local voters and their elected officials, not all of the news on wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandates from the states last week was bad. On Sept. 7, a federal District Court judge in Iowa dismissed a lawsuit filed by the [...]
August 14, 2011 – 9:49 am
Illinois taxpayers are having a rough go of it lately. While leaders in many states have reshaped their state governments to use public funds more efficiently and provide some relief to taxpayers, Illinois lawmakers have decided to go the other way on this issue. Illinois lawmakers went after people’s pocketbooks directly in early 2011, enacting [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged Blagojevich, Executive Order, Gov. Quinn, Illinois, local legislation, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers
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The Boston Herald published another editorial opposed to government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) last week. It longed for the day Mass. officials enact legislation ensuring that all qualified contractors and their skilled employees have a fair opportunity to compete and win state-funded construction contracts (“End Unpopular Pacts,” 7/27/11): The Wall Street Journal recently tallied up the [...]
The title says it all and we completely agree! The editorial board at The Wall Street Journal has again come out against wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated PLAs. Here are the highlights from the editorial (“Project Labor Revolt: The states ban union political bid-rigging. Obama demurs,” 7/19/11): One benefit of the squeeze on state and local [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged 2010 Election, ABC Iowa, ABC Michigan, Arizona, Arkansas, Ballot Initiative, California, Chula Vista, Editorial, Executive Order 13502, featured, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Idaho, Iowa, Kevin Dayton, local legislation, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Open Competition, PLA Basics, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, State Legislation, Tennessee, Utah, Wall Street Journal
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There have been some big developments for proponents of fair and open competition around the country. It is clear that taxpayers from sea to shining sea are sick of their hard earned tax dollars funding special interest handouts in the form of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs). Last week, lawmakers in Idaho cleared [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged ABC Michigan, Executive Order 13502, Florida, Georgia, Gov. Terry Branstad, Greenmail, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, PLA Ban, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, State Legislation
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February 11, 2011 – 4:46 pm
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s recent executive order to prohibit the use of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements on construction projects funded by taxpayer dollars is facing its first real test. The Cedar Rapids City Council voted 5-4 on Tuesday, Feb. 8 to move forward with a PLA requirement for the construction of the city’s [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged 2010 Election, ABC Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Executive Order 13502, Gov. Terry Branstad, Iowa, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, The Politics of PLAs
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January 14, 2011 – 4:47 pm
In a huge win for Iowa taxpayers, newly-inaugurated Governor Terry Branstad just issued Executive Order 69, which repeals Gov. Chet Culver’s Executive Order 22 and prohibits wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on projects that receive state funds. By issuing this order, Gov. Branstad fulfilled his campaign promise to end the use of PLAs [...]
December 6, 2010 – 6:38 am
How much does a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) add to a $52.3 million construction project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) in Washington, D.C.? At least $3.3 million. That’s the cost of a change order the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) paid to a federal contractor to ensure renovations to the [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged Big Labor, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, Harry Alford, Lafayette Building, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, The Politics of PLAs, Washington DC, Washington Examiner
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August 10, 2010 – 10:19 am
The University of Iowa Board of Regents gave its final approval to a proposal to require a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) on the construction of the $72 million University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics outpatient clinic at the Iowa River Landing in Coralville, IA. As we have reported in an earlier post, [...]
