Are Special Interest Handouts (PLAs) Change We Can Believe In?
The Daily Caller published a great Op-Ed by Carole Bionda, VP of ABC member Nova Group of Napa, CA, criticizing President Obama’s scheme to funnel federal construction contracts to Big Labor via project labor agreements (PLAs) and Executive Order 13502 (“Special interest handouts: Is this the change we can believe in?” 5/14/10).
“The president is putting special interests before the public interest. Let’s be clear, PLAs are nothing more than costly kickback schemes designed to benefit the Big Labor bosses who spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect the president and a union-friendly, Democrat-controlled congress.
Contracts should be awarded on the quality of work at the best price – not union affiliation. Taxpayers deserve nothing less.
By ending competitive bidding and forcing contractors to adopt inefficient union work rules, studies have demonstrated that PLAs raise construction bid and final costs by as much as 20 percent when compared to similar non-PLA projects.”
Here is Bionda’s opinion on the impact of this order on the construction industry, which is suffering from 22 percent unemployment according to the latest government data – a slight improvement from the previous month’s data.
“The president’s payback plan to Big Labor bosses won’t stimulate the economy or create jobs. With the construction industry reeling from an unemployment rate of nearly 25 percent, Washington’s latest red tape will deny jobs to skilled and local construction professionals in your community.
President Obama has exchanged the politics of change for business as usual: crony contracting. This country is facing enormous challenges. Now is the time for hope, not costly special interest kickbacks at taxpayers’ expense.”
Be sure and give this entire Op-Ed a read.