Op-Ed: The Best Bidder Should be Awarded the Job
Despite a major legal defeat earlier this year, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) is continuing their effort to impose a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandate on a highway reconstruction and bridge replacement project near Exit 122 on Route 17 in Orange County, NY. In March 2012, an Albany, […]
California Supreme Court Sides with Charter Cities on Prevailing Wage; Decision Could Impact Local PLA Neutrality Laws
In a landmark decision, the California Supreme Court on July 2 upheld the right of California’s 121 charter cities to establish their own policies governing when to apply the state’s prevailing wage law to city construction projects. In this case, the city of Vista asserted that by becoming a charter city, it had the ability […]
New York Firm Wins Lawsuit Against NYS DOT’s Government-Mandated PLA
There was a significant legal victory for taxpayers and merit shop construction firms in New York recently. As we reported in 2011, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) implemented a project labor agreement (PLA) requirement on a highway reconstruction and bridge replacement project near Exit 122 on Route 17 in Orange County, […]
Labor Department to Mandate Controversial Project Labor Agreement on Manchester Job Corps Center
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a pre-solicitation on Dec. 22, 2011, for a $20 million to $50 million DOL Job Corps Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, indicating the project will be subject to an anti-competitive and costly project labor agreement (PLA) mandated by the DOL. Bidding is open only to certified small business […]
Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements Harm Union Contractors and Tradespeople
The debate surrounding government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) is often framed by the media and elected officials as a dispute pitting union signatory contractors and their union employees against nonunion contractors and their nonunion employees. However, a recent lawsuit attacking government-mandated PLAs on $6 billion worth of taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects through 2014 in New York City sheds light on unsung victims of these controversial, anti-competitive and costly special interest handouts that deny hardworking taxpayers the accountability they deserve from government contracts: Union contractors and some construction trade union members.
The Truth About the Recent PA Supreme Court Ruling
The Pennsylvania Supreme Count issued a preliminary ruling on the Hawbaker, et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of General Services, et al. Several uninformed media outlets have indicated that this ruling is an endorsement of PLAs. This is not accurate. This case stems from former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell administration’s effort to force PLA requirements on […]
Op-Ed: ABC Fights to Preserve Apprenticeship Training Opportunities for Future Construction Work Force
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of California Government Affairs Director and TheTruthAboutPLAs.com contributor Kevin Dayton outlines the history of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) in regard to apprenticeship in California in a June 1 op-ed titled, “ABC Fights to Preserve Apprenticeship Training Opportunities for Future Construction Work Force,” published by the San Diego […]
Why the Final Rule Implementing President Obama’s Project Labor Agreement Executive Order Should Be Challenged
ABC General Counsel Maurice Baskin, Esq., Venable LLP, today released a thorough analysis of the final rule implementing President Obama’s Feb. 6, 2009 pro-project labor agreement (PLA) Executive Order 13502. The analysis, The Final Rule Implementing the PLA Executive Order: Why it Should Be Challenged, describes why and how the final rule is violating the law. […]
Another Hidden PLA Problem: Apprentice Fringe Benefit Contributions
TheTruthAboutPLAs.com and ABC routinely field questions from contractors about the risks and dangers of signing project labor agreements (PLAs). This summary of a recent case by labor attorney David P. Wolds of the Wolds Law Group of San Diego, CA is yet another example of how a contractor trying their best to comply with the rigged procurement […]
Delays and Increased Construction Costs Plague PA Prison
Pennsylvania’s Graterford Prison project labor agreement (PLA) controversy is in the Philadelphia newspapers again. No progress has been made on the construction of this important project. Looking for something to blame? It’s the PLA, stupid! Looking for someone to blame? Blame Big Labor’s lobbyists for pushing costly, job-killing special interest PLAs and blame public officials for allowing these […]