Coalition Asks President Trump To Let All Americans Rebuild U.S. Infrastructure
Politico’s Morning Transportation reports that Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and a coalition of 13 other construction and business associations sent President Trump a Jan. 24, 2018, letter urging the administration to eliminate government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal and federally assisted projects, allowing all qualified contractors and Americans to fairly compete to build and […]
BLS: Just 14 Percent of U.S. Construction Industry Is Unionized
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) annual Union Members Summary report published January 19, 2018, 14 percent of wage and salary workers were members of unions in the U.S. private construction industry. That’s a slight increase from 13.9 percent in 2016. The overall private construction industry increased by 356,000 jobs (7,488,000 in 2016 vs 7,844,000 in 2017). […]
Project Labor Agreements Raise Costs on Ohio Schools 13 Percent, Study Finds
A study by the Beacon Hill Institute has shown that when mandated by the government on taxpayer-funded construction projects, project labor agreements (PLAs) increase the costs of construction 13.12 percent. The study examined 88 schools across Ohio that were built since 2000 and found government-mandated PLAs cost $23.12 per square foot more (13.12 percent) than projects built […]
WSJ Project Labor Agreement Op-Ed: A Wisconsin Lesson for Trump the Builder
The Wall Street Journal editorial and op-ed pages have invested barrels of ink opposing anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). In numerous instances (see pieces at end of blog post) the WSJ editorial board has derided PLA mandates, calling them “crony contracts,” “a rotten deal for taxpayers,” and worse: “PLAs are a form of political bid-rigging that robs […]
House Committee Passes Fair and Open Competition Act Targeting Federal Project Labor Agreement Mandates
This week the merit shop contracting community hit an important legislative milestone in its campaign for fair and open competition in government contracting. ABC issued a press release Tuesday applauding the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for favorably reporting out of committee the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1552), introduced in the 115th Congress by […]
Coalition to Senate: Cosponsor Bill Restricting Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
A diverse coalition of construction industry associations and employer groups sent a letter to the United States Senate March 14 opposing government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and anti-competitive PLA preferences used by federal agencies as a result of President Obama’s pro-PLA Executive Order 13502 and related regulations. The letter asks Senators to cosponsor the Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 622), introduced in the 115thCongress […]
Obama’s Pro-Project Labor Agreement Executive Order Promotes Waste on Federally Assisted Construction Contracts. Rescind it.
The media has reported that the White House has compiled a list of about 50 infrastructure spending projects totaling at least $137.5 billion as a first step in following through on President Trump’s campaign promise to renew America’s crumbling highways, airports, dams and bridges. A preliminary list of infrastructure investment priorities provided by the Trump […]
2017 Update: ABC’s Fight Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
In 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13502, which encourages federal agencies to mandate project labor agreements (PLAs) on large-scale federal construction projects exceeding $25 million in total cost on a case-by-case basis. Many merit shop advocates of fair and open competition predicted the order would steer billions of dollars’ worth of federal construction contracts to […]
Courts Rule in Favor of #NoPLA Laws Promoting Fair and Open Competition
Proponents of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) have unsuccessfully challenged federal and state laws and executive orders that prevent lawmakers and agencies from imposing anti-competitive and costly union-favoring PLA requirements on taxpayer-funded construction projects. When mandated by government entities, PLAs have a dismal track record of increasing costs, reducing competition, and discriminating against experienced construction companies […]
Federal Appeals Court Finds NLRA Could Preempt Jersey City Project Labor Agreement Ordinance
A federal appeals court has reversed the New Jersey District Court’s decision to uphold a Jersey City project labor agreement (PLA) ordinance that forced developers to enter into a PLA with construction trade unions as a condition of recieving tax abatements on certain projects. The decision paves the way to repeal Jersey City’s discriminatory and costly pro-PLA […]