Washington DC | The Truth About PLAs - Part 2

Millions of Stimulus Dollars Wasted on Lafayette Building’s Project Labor Agreement Gift to Big Labor

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 | Posted in Uncategorized | 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 | Comments (8)

Project Labor Agreements and Big Labor Fail at Local Job Creation

August 5, 2010 – 10:42 am

Big Labor bosses and government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) advocates frequently claim that PLAs are the only way to guarantee local hire on construction projects funded by tax dollars. Of course, this is another myth promoted by special interests to convince lawmakers and taxpayers that there is a public benefit to anti-competitive and costly PLA [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC California, ABC Iowa, ABC Michigan, Baltimore, California, checkerboarding, Des Moines, Detroit, Detroit Free Press, featured, Iowa, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Review Journal, local hire, Michigan, Nationals Park PLA, New York, NY Daily News, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, PLAs, San Diego Union Tribune, San Francisco, San Francisco Examiner, The Politics of PLAs, Travelers/Boomers, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington DC, Yankee Stadium | Comments (4)

The Truth About PLAs Exposed During DC Council Hearing

July 1, 2010 – 8:29 pm

The D.C. Council committees on Housing and Workforce Development and Government Operations held a joint hearing on June 30 to consider the District Resident Employment and Trade Stimulus Amendment Act of 2010 (Bill 18-650). This bill would require the use of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on all projects costing more than $200,000 [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, D.C. Council, Executive Order 13502, Hearing, local legislation, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington DC | Comments (0)

DC Council Holds Hearing Tomorrow on Legislation Mandating PLA Schemes

June 29, 2010 – 4:16 pm

The D.C. Council’s Committee on Housing and Workforce Development and Government Operations is holding a hearing at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building on the District Resident Employment and Trade Stimulus Amendment Act of 2010 (Bill 18-650). This legislation would require contractors building District construction projects costing more than [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, D.C. Council, Executive Order 13502, local legislation, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, State Legislation, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington DC | Comments (0)

Job Training, Not PLAs, Needed for District

May 5, 2010 – 8:23 am

As the D.C. Council studies the misleadingly named District Resident Employment and Trade Stimulus Act of 2010 (Bill 18-650), which would require project labor agreements (PLAs) on D.C. construction projects that cost more than $200,000 and receive government assistance, an Op-Ed in The Washington Business Journal by Roderick L. Woodson debunks common myths promoted by Big Labor in [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, D.C. Council, local legislation, Op-Ed, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, Project Labor Agreements, Washington Business Journal, Washington DC | Comments (0)

Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements: A Form of Corruption

April 12, 2010 – 11:00 am

George Nash, director of commercial construction and development for Facchina Construction Co. and 2010 chairman of the board for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Metro Washington chapter, calls out project labor agreements (PLAs) for what they are – corruption – in an editorial published by the Washington Business Journal on April 9. This editorial mentions [...]

By Andy Conlin | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, D.C. Council, local legislation, Nationals Park PLA, PLA Study, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, Study, The Politics of PLAs, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington Business Journal, Washington DC | Comments (2)

Review of District of Columbia Project Labor Agreements

April 6, 2010 – 5:53 am

As members of the D.C. Council review the misleadingly named District Resident Employment and Trade Stimulus Act of 2010 (Bill 18-650), which would require project labor agreements (PLAs) on D.C. construction projects that cost more than $200,000 and receive government assistance, it is important to review the limited, yet poor, history Washington, D.C., has had with PLAs. Research in [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1800 F Street, ABC Metro Washington, D.C. Council, DC Convention Center, DC Progress, District Economic Empowerment Coalition (DEEC), Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, Lafayette Building, local legislation, Nationals Park PLA, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, St. Elizabeth's, Stadium, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington DC, Wilson Bridge | Comments (1)

A Project Labor Agreement Reduced Competition and Increased Costs on the Wilson Bridge

April 1, 2010 – 12:58 pm

The D.C. Council is considering legislation, the District Resident Employment and Trade Stimulus Act of 2010 (Bill 18-650), that would mandate project labor agreements (PLAs) on all government-assisted projects costing more than $200,000 in Washington, D.C. Yesterday’s blog post discussed a report about the failed record of government-mandated PLAs in Washington, D.C., “The Problem with PLAs [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, ABC Virginia, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, FHWA, Gov. Glendening, Maryland, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, U.S. Department of Transportation, VA, Virginia, Washington DC, Wilson Bridge | Comments (0)

New Report Says Anti-Competitive PLAs Won’t Help District of Columbia Economy

March 31, 2010 – 3:09 pm

A new report on government-mandated PLAs, “The Problem with PLAs in the District of Columbia,” was released today. Focusing specifically on the D.C. construction market, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu’s report examines the existing data indicating whether government-mandated PLAs make sense in the District of Columbia. Here is a key finding from the report: “In [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, D.C. Council, PLA Study, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, Project Labor Agreements, Study, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Washington DC | Comments (1)

District of Columbia Big Labor Bosses Busted for Pay-to-Play Politics

March 30, 2010 – 9:01 am

A TruthAboutPLAs.com reader has sent us evidence we are sharing with the public that demonstrates that the AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council is engaged in shameless pay-to-play politics with Prince George’s County officials, which is the county East of Washington. D.C. TheTruthAboutPLAs.com has covered how a lobbyist for the AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council perpetuated misleading/intentionally false statements in support of District Resident [...]

By Ben Brubeck | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Metro Washington, AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, Corruption, D.C. Council, Joslyn Williams, local legislation, Maryland, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, Prince George's County, Project Labor Agreements, quid pro quo, Washington DC | Comments (0)