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, […]
ABC Empire State Chapter President Testifies in Opposition to PLA Mandates
ABC Empire State Chapter president Steve Lefebvre testified January 31 to New York State Legislature Joint Budget Hearing on Economic Development to discuss the negative impact of wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on taxpayer funded construction. (Mr. Lefebvre’s testimony starts at the 2:09 mark) In his testimony, Lefebvre tells committee members a story we followed […]
ABC Empire State Chapter Urges Gov. Cuomo to Unshackle the Economic Power of Public Construction
Stephen Lefebvre, president of the Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) had some thoughts on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state of the state address last week. The ABC Empire State Chapter issued the press release below on January 5, where he wished Gov. Cuomo the best in 2012 and asked him […]
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.
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 […]
UPDATE: Big Labor Handout Costs NYS Taxpayers $4.5 Million
There is a great example of Big Labor handouts at their worst developing in New York State this spring. Here are the facts from the Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors: “Lancaster Development, Inc., a Schoharie County-based heavy/highway construction firm, and the Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors are calling on […]
USACE Issues PLA Surveys for Louisiana, Nebraska and Hawaii
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently issued three surveys requesting information from the construction industry on potential project labor agreement (PLA) mandates for USACE construction projects in Louisiana, Nebraska and Hawaii. A May 4 survey issued by USACE asks for feedback on a PLA mandate for the VOLAR Barracks renovation in Fort Polk, Louisiana. […]
Report Highlights Inefficient Union Work Rules in NYC, Developers Say Alleged PLA Cost Savings Disappointing
Merit shop contractors know government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) saddle nonunion and merit shop contractors with inefficient union work rules and high operational costs unique to unionized contractors, which results in reduced competition and increased costs to taxpayers. But few understand the merit shop contractor cost advantage despite anecdotal evidence and compelling research on the topic. […]
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Issues Project Labor Agreement Survey for Fort Drum in Jefferson County, New York
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued an April 28 survey (pdf) requesting information from the construction industry about the potential use of a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) on a $25 million to $50 million Operational Readiness Training Complex (ORTC) project at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, New York. All members of Associated Builders […]
United States Army Corps of Engineers Requests Information on Project Labor Agreements for West Point Construction in New York
The New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a survey soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) for three large scale construction contracts totaling about $200 million at West Point in Orange County, NY. All ABC members, employees and construction industry […]