97% of ABC Contractors Say Biden’s Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreement Policies Would Make Federal Construction More Expensive
According to a September 2022 survey of ABC contractor members published Sept. 28, 2022, 98% oppose President Biden’s proposed rule mandating project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more. PLA schemes needlessly increase costs and exacerbate the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage because they exclude almost nine out of 10 workers […]
Survey: ABC Members Strongly Oppose Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
ABC members overwhelmingly reported that government-mandated project labor agreements harm their businesses, hiring and workforce development practices and ability to complete work safely, on time and on budget, according to the results of a December 2018 membership survey published today. Ninety-eight percent of survey respondents said they were less likely to bid on a taxpayer-funded construction contract […]
Project Labor Agreement Fails On Tappan Zee Bridge Construction; Jobs Outsourced to Robots
The $3.9 billion project to replace New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge is being built by union labor and robots. The $3.1 billion construction contract is subject to a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) pushed by Albany’s pro-union lawmakers and New York Gov. Cuomo (D) because it will result in a huge windfall of political contributions to the Empire […]
No Surprise: Big Labor Fails to Meet Meriden PLA Hiring Goals
Construction unions in Meriden, Conn. are failing to meet local, minority and veteran hiring goals on two high profile school projects – a key promise made by union leaders during their effort to secure wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) requirements on approximately $220 million worth of contracts to renovate two local high schools. […]
Jersey City Project Labor Agreement Policies Fail to Deliver Local Jobs
Jersey City residents are upset jobs on construction projects subject to government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) are not going to local minority residents, despite promises made by unions and lawmakers promoting PLAs. A video, Jersey City Need Not Apply, released last week by the Jersey City Political Action Committee (JCPAC), documents how Jersey City policies […]
Project Labor Agreement on Seattle Tunnel Mega-Project Fails to Deliver on Many Promises
Bad news continues to plague Washington state’s $2 billion Highway 99 tunnel project underneath Seattle’s downtown waterfront, contradicting a number of key points lawmakers and construction unions use to sell government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) to owners, taxpayers and the media. Despite promises by Big Labor and advocates of these union-friendly deals that allegedly prevent costly […]
Project Labor Agreement on Iowa State Penitentiary Fails to Fulfill Local Hiring Promises
The Des Moines Register reported the $132 million Iowa State Penitentiary project in Fort Madison, Iowa, has created jobs for a large number of out-of-state union workers, despite promises by advocates of project labor agreements (PLAs) that these union-favoring pacts create jobs primarily for Iowa’s taxpayers and construction workforce (“Many prison project jobs went to non-Iowans,” 10/12/13): “When […]
Construction Fatalities and Protest by Minority Contracting Community Plague New 49ers Stadium Project
Construction of the San Francisco 49ers’ $1.2 billion Levi’s stadium, subject to a controversial government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA), has been plagued by two fatal jobsite accidents and a protest by a coalition of community groups and activists outraged by the lack of construction contracts awarded to minority businesses. PLA advocates claim anti-competitive and costly PLA schemes promote safe jobsites and […]
Project Labor Agreement Fails at Local Hire on New Bedford Dredging Project
Big Labor bosses and government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) advocates frequently claim that PLAs are the only way to guarantee local hire on construction projects. Of course, this is another myth promoted by special interests to convince lawmakers and taxpayers that there is a public benefit to anti-competitive and costly PLA schemes, which funnel lucrative […]
National Black Chamber of Commerce Blasts Lack of Diversity in Construction Trade Unions
Earlier this month, the National Black Chamber of Commerce penned an open letter to U.S. Representative Marica Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, claiming construction unions have “consistently discriminated against Black workers and contractors” and are “a prime contributor to Black unemployment” (“Strange Bedfellows – Unions and Black Politicians“): “We are very disturbed that elected officials […]