Berks County, Pa., Commission Bans PLA Mandates on County Projects
On Thursday, June 19, the Berks County, Pa., Commission passed an ordinance that prohibits the county from requiring contractors to enter into a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) as a condition of performing work on public construction projects. Additionally, this ordinance prohibits the county from providing financial support for projects subject to PLA mandates.
No Surprise: Big Labor Fails to Meet Meriden PLA Hiring Goals
Construction unions in Meriden, Conn. are failing to meet local, minority and veteran hiring goals on two high profile school projects – a key promise made by union leaders during their effort to secure wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) requirements on approximately $220 million worth of contracts to renovate two local high schools. […]
Mississippi Becomes the 21st State to Restrict PLA Mandates
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signed S.B. 2797 this week. This new law will severely limits the ability of state and local government entities to require contractors to enter into PLAs as a condition of performing work on public construction projects. This new statute will require action by the state legislature before a state or […]
Butler County Commission Imposes PLA Mandate on Local Construction Project
The Butler County, Pa., Board of Commissioners March 19 imposed a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandate on the construction of the new Butler County Government Center Annex project. This mandate is bad for taxpayers and the 76 percent of Pennsylvania’s construction workforce that chooses not to join a labor union. When mandated […]
South Dakota Becomes the 20th State to Adopt PLA Reform
South Dakota is the latest state to say “NO” to wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandates. Today, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard (R) signed H.B. 1212 into law, which will prohibit government entities in the state from requiring contractors to sign a PLA, or any other agreement with labor unions, as a condition […]
Alabama Becomes the 19th State to Adopt PLA Reform, South Dakota Bill Clears Legislature
Alabama is the latest state to say “NO” to wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandates. Yesterday, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) signed H.B. 195 into law, which will prohibit government entities in the state from requiring contractors to sign a PLA, or any other agreement with labor unions, as a condition of performing […]
PLA Requirement Costs Southern California Taxpayers
In a story we can file under “no surprise here,” we learned earlier this week that the PLA mandate on the Rancho Campana High School caused the budget for the project to come in higher than expected. The Oxnard Union High School Board in Ventura, Calif., voted to approve approximately $58 million for the construction […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Election Year Gift to Big Labor
New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is stepping up his election year outreach to Big Labor. Despite efforts to reign in public sector employees, Cuomo is clearly interested in strengthening his bond with other parts of the labor coalition – at the expense of taxpayers and the vast majority of the construction workforce that […]
PLA Reform Bills on the Move in South Dakota and Alabama
The nationwide effort to ban wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandates took a step forward yesterday, as lawmakers in the South Dakota and Alabama legislatures passed bills that guarantee fair and open competition for taxpayer-funded construction projects. The Alabama House of Representatives approved H.B. 195, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler (R), with bipartisan […]
Bad Wine: Sonoma County Approves PLA Requirement
After months of consideration, the Sonoma County California Board of Supervisors voted this week to approve a policy mandating the use of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on county projects of $10 million or more. The discussion about whether the county should require PLAs on its construction projects started in 2012, but Sonoma […]