Washington DC | The Truth About PLAs

Phase 2 Silver Line Dispute Grabs Headlines; Opposition to Project Labor Agreement Grows

June 29, 2011 – 11:42 am

Opposition continues to mount against the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority’s (MWAA) April 6 resolution mandating a union-favoring project labor agreement (PLA) that contractors are required to agree to in order to win construction contracts on the $3.5 billion Phase 2 Dulles Metro Rail Silver Line project in Northern Virginia. (See previous blog posts from TheTruthAboutPLAs.com [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Virginia, Barbara Comstock, Dennis Martire, Editorial, Fairfax County, Fairfax Times, GAO, Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis, Jack Potter, Jim Lemunyon, Ken Cuccinelli, LIUNA, Loudoun County, Metro Washington Airport Authority, MWAA, Open Competition, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Ray LaHood, Silver Line, The Politics of PLAs, Thomas Greason, Tim Hugo, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Washington DC, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Washington Times, WMAL 630, Women and Construction Owners and Executives | Comments (2)

ABC Members Testify in Support of Legislation Restoring Fairness in Federal Contracting

June 7, 2011 – 11:32 am

On June 3, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subcommittee held a hearing, “H.R. 735 and Project Labor Agreements: Restoring Competition and Neutrality to Government Construction Projects.” The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.), heard testimony about the negative impact of President Obama’s controversial Executive Order 13502 [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AGC, Beacon Hill Institute, Daniel Gordon, David G. Tuerck, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, Hearing, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subcommittee, Kirby Wu, Massachusetts, Maury Baskin, Mike Kennedy, New Jersey, OMB, PLAs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Rep. James Lankford, Rep. Mike Kelly, Rep. Tim Walberg, Sullivan, Susan Brita, Technology, The Government Neutrality in Contracting Act, U.S. House Hearing, Wall Street Journal, Washington DC | Comments (0)

Prince George’s County, Maryland Considers Wasteful PLA Requirement

June 1, 2011 – 1:25 pm

Price George’s County will consider legislation today that would require contractors to agree to wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of performing work on all projects costing more than $1 million. This proposal is particularly galling for local taxpayers when you consider the terrible fiscal situation that the county finds itself in this [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged local legislation, Maryland, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Washington DC | Comments (1)

Big Labor Crashes Dulles Metro Rail Press Conference, Stifles Objections to Costly Project Labor Agreement Scheme

April 20, 2011 – 6:43 am

On April, 18 Laborers Union (LIUNA) Local 657 and other members and paid astroturfers guests of the Washington Metropolitan Council, AFL-CIO, bused in disruptive protestors from Washington, D.C., and Maryland to crash a press conference held by U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf concerning $3.5 billion worth of construction for Phase 2 of the Dulles Metro Rail project [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Big Dig, Campaign, Construction Industry Labor Management Trust Fund, Dennis Martire, Dulles Corridor Committee, Dulles Transit Partners, Editorial, Fairfax Times, Labor Union Report, Laborers Employers Cooperation & Education Trust, Laborers International Union of North America, Leesburg Today, LIUNA, Loudoun County, Loudoun Times, Maryland, Metro Washington Airport Authority, MWAA, PLA Video, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, Project Labor Agreements, protest, Rep. Wolf, Scott York, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, VA, Virginia, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Washington DC, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, WilburSmith Associates, Wilson Bridge | Comments (0)

Phase 2 of Dulles Corridor Metro Project Subject to Anti-Competitive and Costly Special Interest Scheme: Metro Washington Airport Authority Passes Resolution Requiring Project Labor Agreement

April 13, 2011 – 2:35 pm

On April 6, 2011, the full Metro Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) board passed a resolution [1] 11-2 requiring an estimated $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion worth of construction for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to be subject to a project labor agreement (PLA).[2] When mandated by government agencies, these agreements are very [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Maryland, Metro Washington Airport Authority, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, VA, Virginia, Washington DC, Wilson Bridge | Comments (0)

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)

Editorial: Tis the Season for White House Gifts to Big Labor

December 23, 2010 – 9:56 am

ObamaClause and his GSA elves are busy giving gifts to Big Labor this holiday season. Executive Order 13502: Obama’s Gift to Big Labor. Image by Elaine Natario courtesy of The Boston Globe, “Obama kowtows to labor unions,” 10/07/09. A Washington Examiner editorial is critical of White House gifts to Big Labor called project labor [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Editorial, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, Lafayette Building, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Washington DC, Washington Examiner | Comments (1)

Malkin: Taxpayers Beware of White House Gifts to Big Labor

December 22, 2010 – 3:17 pm

ICYMI, check out political pundit Michelle Malkin’s blog. It links to a piece on www.TheTruthAboutPLAs.com and warns the public about more special interest gifts to Big Labor via anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) (“Watch Out: More Obama union pay-offs in the works,” 12/20): On Friday, President Obama mollified Big Labor bosses at the White [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Blogosphere, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Lafayette Building, Michelle Malkin, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, The Politics of PLAs, Washington DC | Comments (1)

GSA’s Policy of Big Labor Favoritism Draws Congressional Inquiry

December 18, 2010 – 9:55 am

After recent media reports exposed how the Obama Administration and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) have conspired to steer lucrative federal construction contracts to businesses willing to build federal projects utilizing a union-favoring project labor agreement (PLA), members of Congress are starting to ask questions. This week, nineteen GOP members of Congress, including the incoming [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Lafayette Building, PLAs, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Washington DC, Washington Examiner | Comments (2)

Money For Nothin’

December 10, 2010 – 6:24 am

Bret Jacobson, a blogger on BigGovernment.com, reminds readers (Our Dire Straits: Money For Nothin’, 12/9/10) of a story reported earlier this week about taxpayer waste on the renovation of the Lafayette Federal Building in downtown Washington D.C. As regular readers remember, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) paid a federal contractor at least $3.3 million as [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, Big Labor, BigGovernment.com, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Harry Alford, Lafayette Building, National Black Chamber of Commerce, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Veterans Administration, Washington DC, Washington Examiner | Comments (0)