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 Schemes Debated in Charles County Maryland
A battle is brewing between the merit shop contracting community and construction labor unions in Charles County, Maryland, the latest locality in the Mid-Atlantic region to entertain legislation requiring anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on taxpayer-funded construction projects. On Oct.2, the Charles County commissioners invited representatives from construction trade unions and the local […]
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 […]
Buckeye Taxpayer Victory: Lorain City Council Repeals PLA Mandate
Here is an update to a story we followed in 2011. Ohio’s Lorain City Council voted March 7 to repeal a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate for all city construction projects. It was replaced by a measure requiring contractors to comply with a workforce participation plan that includes a local hire mandate of 25 percent. City leaders […]
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Abandons Project Labor Agreement Policy; Instead Directs Staff to Negotiate Project Labor Agreement for Sonoma County Airport Expansion
Without a vote, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors directed county staff on September 18, 2012 to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with unions and with the input of contractors for the planned $54 million expansion of the runways at the Charles M. Schultz Sonoma County Airport. Supervisors listed numerous items to be addressed in the negotiations […]
PLA Requirement Rescinded on NJ Vine Street School Project
There was an important story for taxpayers in Cumberland County, New Jersey last week, where freeholders voted to rescind a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) requirement for an upcoming project that would transform the Vine Street School into a new home for the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s office. Here are the highlights from The […]
Understanding Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements and the Law
Lawmakers, the media, taxpayers and members of the construction industry frequently inquire about government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and the law. They question how such blatant favoritism and cronyism is legal. In the 1993 landmark Boston Harbor case, the Supreme Court of the United States held that government-mandated PLAs are not prohibited by the National Labor Relations […]
Michigan Again Bans PLA Mandates on Taxpayer-Funded Construction
Determined to ensure that taxpayers get the best construction at the best price, Michigan’s elected leaders have again enacted legislation (Public Act 238) that will ensure government neutrality with regard to project labor agreements (PLAs) on taxpayer-funded construction in the Great Lakes state. Although Michigan adopted a similar bill in 2011, a federal district court […]
First Project under Prince George’s County’s New Pro-PLA Policy a Disaster
Prince George’s County’s first attempt to implement a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandate under a November 15, 2011, policy (read the Prince George’s County press release on the policy here) is poised to be a costly disaster for county residents. Bids have been submitted for a fire station construction project in Brandywine, Md., […]
Santa Fe City Council Delays Implementation of Discriminatory CWA/PLA Mandate
Last week, the Santa Fe City Council delayed the implementation of a wasteful and discriminatory community workforce agreement (CWA) mandate for all city projects costing more than $500,000 after city officials struggled to implement the requirement on a small firehouse renovation and expansion. They did not have any bidders willing to work under a PLA. […]