California Bills Designed to Turn Back the Will of the Voters Reach Gov. Jerry Brown’s Desk
With two of the three bills designed to kill California voters’ rebellion against project labor agreements (PLAs) reaching Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk on Friday afternoon, this is a good opportunity to again urge Gov. Brown to veto this obvious and appalling handout to Big Labor. This is also a good opportunity to review the numerous […]
Thoughts on the Wisconsin Recall Elections
While this blog is focused on the negative impact of project labor agreement (PLA) mandates on taxpayer funded construction, we have kept a watchful eye on both the Wisconsin recall elections and the debate over S.B. 5 in Ohio in recent months and have some thoughts to share. Many observers project that more than $30 […]
WSJ Editorial: Government-mandated PLAs “Deserve to be Outlawed”
The title says it all and we completely agree! The editorial board at The Wall Street Journal has again come out against wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated PLAs. Here are the highlights from the editorial (“Project Labor Revolt: The states ban union political bid-rigging. Obama demurs,” 7/19/11): One benefit of the squeeze on state and local […]
Gov. Branstad Determined to Enforce Open Competition Executive Order on Cedar Rapids Convention Center Project
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s recent executive order to prohibit the use of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements on construction projects funded by taxpayer dollars is facing its first real test. The Cedar Rapids City Council voted 5-4 on Tuesday, Feb. 8 to move forward with a PLA requirement for the construction of the city’s […]
San Diego Voters Have the Chance to End Taxpayer-funded Handouts
San Diego County voters have the chance to end taxpayer-funded handouts to Big Labor today, as Proposition A is on the ballot for voters to consider. Proposition A would solidify a ban on government-mandated project labor agreements on county-supported projects. More information on Proposition A is available in our earlier posts. Also, check out ABC […]
San Diego’s Major Newspaper Reports on Proposition A to Prohibit Project Labor Agreements
The October 26, 2010 San Diego Union-Tribune reports on the issues concerning Proposition A, a measure on the November 2, 2010 ballot that would amend the charter (constitution) of San Diego County to prohibit the county from entering into contracts that require its construction contractors to sign project labor agreements (PLAs) with construction unions. The article […]
Vigorous Debate Expected Between Top California Spokespeople For and Against Project Labor Agreements
Eric Christen, executive director for the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction, will face off against Lorena Gonzalez, secretary-treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, in a radio debate on San Diego County’s Proposition A on Thursday, October 14 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Eric Christen will be speaking in support of […]
New Billboard Tells Gov. Patrick to Halt the Assault on Taxpayers
The Massachusetts Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has launched a new billboard telling Gov. Deval Patrick (D) to halt the assault on Massachusetts small business. In June, the UMass Building Authority approved a requirement that all construction contractors must enter into a wasteful project labor agreement (PLA) with Big Labor in order to […]
Candidates Opposed to Project Labor Agreements Win Key Endorsements in Riverside County, California
The Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper published an editorial (“3 for RCC,” 9/21/10) endorsing three candidates (two incumbents and a candidate running for an open seat) for the board of trustees of the Riverside Community College District, which serves residents of Riverside County, California. The editorial explicitly connected its endorsements to the “fiscal sobriety” of these three […]
San Diego County Voters Will Have Chance to Ban PLAs on County Construction Projects
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted on July 13 to “put the people in charge” and “give voters a voice” by placing a measure (now designated as Proposition A) on the November 2 ballot that would amend the county’s charter to prohibit the county from entering into contracts that require contractors to sign […]