Strikes

The West Coast’s Big Dig Boondoggle Woes Continue: Seattle’s Tunnel PLA Job Dangerous For Workers

0 March 22, 2016  Featured, State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

Bad news continues to plague Washington state’s Highway 99 tunnel mega-project (PDF) underneath Seattle’s downtown waterfront, contradicting a number of key points lawmakers and construction union lobbyists use to sell government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) to owners, taxpayers and the media.   According to the AP, the Seattle Tunnel’s injury claims have totaled more than $2.5 […]

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NYC Union Strike Shuts Down Project Labor Agreement Jobsites Again

0 July 13, 2015  Featured, Open Competition Works, State & Local Construction

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 […]

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Project Labor Agreement on Seattle Tunnel Mega-Project Fails to Deliver on Many Promises

0 January 23, 2014  Featured, Federal Construction, State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

Bad news continues to plague Washington state’s $2 billion Highway 99 tunnel project underneath Seattle’s downtown waterfront, contradicting a number of key points lawmakers and construction unions use to sell government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) to owners, taxpayers and the media. Despite promises by Big Labor and advocates of these union-friendly deals that allegedly prevent costly […]

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Despite Project Labor Agreement, Union Dispute Shuts Down Seattle Tunnel Job for Four Weeks

0 September 18, 2013  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

A project labor agreement (PLA) failed to prevent a labor dispute that shut-down a portion of a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) mega-construction project for more than four weeks. It is one of many recent examples of PLA projects suffering from delays and increased costs resulting from labor disputes and strikes, despite the fact that […]

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NYC Carpenters Union Breaks Project Labor Agreement’s No-Strike Promise at 4 WTC Jobsite

3 July 2, 2013  Featured, State & Local Construction

According to a press release by the New York City District Council Carpenters Union, hundreds of carpenters union members went on strike Monday—affecting major construction projects around New York City and New Jersey, including some covered by project labor agreements (PLAs). According to the New York Daily News (“Nailing down a contract: Carpenters’ strike would affect […]

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Construction Union Booze Crews Targeted for Drinking on PLA-Covered Ground Zero Projects

1 September 10, 2012  State & Local Construction

Its last call for the union hard hats getting hammered before returning to work on Ground Zero construction jobsites covered by project labor agreements (PLAs).  Last month, the New York Post reported the Port Authority is cracking down on drinking by construction union members following a series of accidents and reports of excessive workday boozing […]

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Investor’s Business Daily Editorial: Peace for PLA is Big Labor’s Implicit Threat Behind Promotion of Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements

0 June 15, 2012  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

An Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) editorial exposes the truth about government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and chronicles political efforts to restrict and impose PLA mandates in California, Virginia, New Hampshire and San Diego on local, state and federal construction projects (“Public Wakes Up To Unions’ PLA Power Play,” 6/14/12). Enjoy this excelent editorial (my emphasis in bold): Unions: […]

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Another PLA Myth Busted: PLAs Fail to Prevent Strikes on NYC Projects

2 August 2, 2011  Featured, State & Local Construction

Construction unions market project labor agreements (PLAs) to public and private construction owners as a tool to guarantee labor peace on construction projects. But recent examples of strikes and walkouts on PLA projects in NYC and other areas across the U.S. call into question the value of these anti-competitive schemes designed steer contracts to union contractors and union […]

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