Project Labor Agreements Are Evidence of Moral Breakdown
Rarely mentioned in public policy discussions about Project Labor Agreements are the moral implications of using the government as an agent to prod contractors and their employees into union agreements. Is it right for a government to require contractors to make employee fringe benefit payments to union-managed trust funds and obtain their workers from a […]
California’s Environmental Laws: A Weapon to Crush Potential Competition and Extort Developers
Legal exploitation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for purposes unrelated to environmental protection continues unabated throughout California, according to an article in the November 14 Los Angeles Times (“Firms Turning to Environmental Law to Combat Rivals”). This news is 25 years old, but it’s always good to see the news media remind people […]
On the Money: Sacramento CBS Affiliate Breaks Down the Added Cost of PLAs
In their “On the Money” segment, Sacramento’s CBS affiliate exposes what PLA mandates on school construction mean for taxpayers. Government-mandated PLAs have a negative impact on local construction workers and taxpayers. These special interest handouts to Big Labor line the pockets of union bosses at the expense of average Americans. Californians throughout the state have […]
A Genuine California Union Conspiracy: Senate Bill 790 and the California Building Trades Council’s Ratepayer-Funded Political Slush Fund
In California, a mini-public relations campaign is underway to defend Senate Bill 790, a bill now at Governor Jerry Brown’s desk dealing with “community choice aggregation” for electric consumers. Defenders of the bill are trying to downplay an obscure but controversial unrelated provision attached to the end of the bill that allows public utilities to […]
Fair and Open Competition Measure Easily Qualifies for Ballot in City of San Diego
The San Diego City Clerk announced late this afternoon that a proposed ballot measure for a Fair and Open Competition ordinance easily qualified for the next city election ballot. The well-organized, experienced campaign executive committee of local business owners and association representatives submitted their petitions on September 2, well ahead of the deadline, with far […]
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 […]
California Governor Jerry Brown Will Decide Fate of Local Voter Rebellions Against Project Labor Agreements
The California legislature has approved and sent to Governor Jerry Brown three bills that construction union lobbyists are demanding in their quest to use the power of government to gain greater control over taxpayer-funded construction projects. These are Senate Bill 922, Assembly Bill 436, and Senate Bill 790. Receiving the most attention is Senate Bill […]
Strong Opposition Quickly Emerges to Union-Backed California Bills Suppressing Local Project Labor Agreement Bans
California State Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez took a bill about tuberculosis screening (Senate Bill 922) on the afternoon of Friday, September 2 and turned it into a bill that nullifies current and future Project Labor Agreement bans at local governments and cuts off state funds for charter cities that […]
Unions Unveil Last-Minute Legislative Schemes in California to End Local Fair and Open Competition Policies and Promote Project Labor Agreements
On the afternoon of September 2 – the Friday before Labor Day weekend – the California State Building and Construction Trades Council finally revealed its plot to terminate local efforts throughout the state to guarantee the best quality construction at the best price for taxpayers. Bills in the California State Legislature were “gutted and amended” […]
Sacramento Newspaper Explains Project Labor Agreements as Signature Collection Continues for Fair and Open Competition Ballot Measures
The Sacramento News & Review, a long-established independent alternative weekly newspaper, has just published a well-written article explaining perspectives on project labor agreements (PLAs) and the proposed Fair and Open Competition ballot measures for the City of Sacramento and County of Sacramento. It includes comments from two local elected officials, a local contractor, and Kevin […]