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Research on Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
Read academic studies and reports to learn more about the failure of union-only government-mandated PLAs to control construction costs, increase work opportunities, prevent construction delays and improve safety, productivity or quality on construction projects.
Nonunion Workers Suffer Up to 34% in Wage Theft Under Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22—Associated Builders and Contractors today calls attention to a new report that highlights the negative economic impact of controversial government-mandated project labor agreements on nonunion construction workers, who comprise 87.3% of the construction industry workforce. The study found that the limited number of nonunion craft professionals permitted to work on construction projects subject […]
Los Angeles PLA Mandate Delivered Fewer Projects and Increased Construction Costs, Study Finds
A study published in August by the Rand Corporation found that a bond measure passed by voters in 2016 failed to deliver on its intended results, largely because of the existence of a project labor agreement. In 2016, voters in Los Angeles approved a bond measure, formally known as Proposition HHH, which allowed city housing […]
Study: Project Labor Agreement Mandates Inflate Cost of New Jersey School Construction by 16.25%
A study released in August by the Beacon Hill Institute found that New Jersey schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 16.25% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements. The study, which looked at 107 schools built in New Jersey since 2002, found that those built under […]
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 […]
The Truth About Project Labor Agreement Research
Lobbyists calling for the increased use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) have been referencing work by Kotler, Phillips, Belman, Bodah and Le that is critical of quantitative research that demonstrates the negative impact of anti-competitive PLA requirements on construction costs and taxpayers. These attacks, which have been referenced and discussed in inaccurate and biased PLA feasibility studies produced by Hill […]
Great Scott: Projects Bid With and Without PLA Mandates Show PLAs Increase Costs and Reduce Competition
While researching the use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) in West Virginia in advance of Wednesday’s deadline for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey about a potential PLA mandate on a large-scale federal project in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., TheTruthAboutPLAs.com went back in time to revisit another real-world example of how discriminatory PLA […]
Who Is Hill International and Why Does It Promote Government-Mandated PLAs?
Who is Hill International and why does it consistently support and promote anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs)? In short, Hill International is a corporate PLA pimp. Read on to learn why this isn’t hyperbole. Many local, state and federal entities in charge of taxpayer-funded construction contracts are required by law or directed […]
Reduced Competition Increases Costs
One fundamental economic principle is rarely wrong: Reduced competition increases costs. It is a fairly intuitive premise. Unfortunately, some government officials (often controlled by special interests) fail to grasp this basic economic concept. They often unwittingly—or even worse, knowingly—implement policies that unfairly cater to special interests or address both legitimate and erroneous public policy concerns at the […]
Project Labor Agreements on California School Construction Raise Costs up to 15 Percent, Study Says
According to a new study released by the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR), California school construction projects built using project labor agreements (PLAs) experienced increased costs of 13 percent to 15 percent, or $28.90 to $32.49 per square foot, compared to projects that did not use a PLA. Measuring the Cost of […]