Do Project Labor Agreements Stop Strikes on Construction Jobsites?
Some construction union lobbyists and bosses market anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements to public and private construction owners as a tool to guarantee labor peace on construction jobsites by prohibiting union-led strikes that can delay a project and increase the cost of construction. PLA advocates know that strikes, work stoppages, slowdowns and other labor unrest authorized […]
NYC Carpenters Union Breaks Project Labor Agreement’s No-Strike Promise at 4 WTC Jobsite
According to a press release by the New York City District Council Carpenters Union, hundreds of carpenters union members went on strike Monday—affecting major construction projects around New York City and New Jersey, including some covered by project labor agreements (PLAs). According to the New York Daily News (“Nailing down a contract: Carpenters’ strike would affect […]
Another PLA Myth Busted: PLAs Fail to Prevent Strikes on NYC Projects
Construction unions market project labor agreements (PLAs) to public and private construction owners as a tool to guarantee labor peace on construction projects. But recent examples of strikes and walkouts on PLA projects in NYC and other areas across the U.S. call into question the value of these anti-competitive schemes designed steer contracts to union contractors and union […]
Domestic Dispute in Big Labor’s House
Despite the special interest handouts to Big Labor by politicians supported by construction trades unions at the local, state and federal level, trouble’s brewing in the fragile house of Big Labor. A TruthAboutPLAs.com reader sent me this sensational letter from Terry Nelson, executive secretary treasurer of the Carpenters’ Disctrict Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity. Nelson is outraged that […]
Federal Times “This Week” News Brief: Project Labor Pacts Boost Costs, Study Finds
Federal Times, the premier news source for federal government managers, covered the September 23 release of the Beacon Hill Institute’s (BHI) study, “Project Labor Agreements on Federal Construction Projects: A Costly Solution in Search of a Problem,” in their September 28 “This Week” news briefs. The BHI study found that PLAs significantly increase construction costs on […]
Bad Medicine – Walgreens Agrees to PLAs in Minnesota
Though much of this blog’s attention has focused on public PLAs, it’s also important to note the negative impact of private PLAs and the tactics used by Big Labor to get them as well. Sure, a private entity is free to enter into an agreement with Big Labor that will increase its construction costs by […]
PLA Basics: Unions Offer Project Labor Agreements as a Solution to Strikes Created by Union Members
Construction unions market union-only PLAs as a tool to construction owners to guarantee labor peace on construction projects. Unions know that strikes, work stoppages, slowdowns and other labor unrest can shut down a jobsite and delay the opening of a project, potentially costing construction owners lost revenue. Union negotiators leverage the threat of union-led strikes […]
Will Philadelphia Convention Center Expansion Project Labor Agreement Prevent Labor Unrest?
Last night collective bargaining agreements between Philadelphia area Carpenters Unions and Laborers Unions and contractors expired, leaving construction project owners and contractors with concerns about union strikes and labor disputes on jobsites covered by expired collective bargaining agreements. According to this short 5/4 Philadelphia Inquirer piece, the Carpenters and Laborers’ District Council have been negotiating […]