Pennsylvania State Senator Lloyd Smucker On PLAs
Pennsylvania Senator Lloyd Smucker got a chance to offer his thoughts on wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) at a Feb. 16 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing with Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary James Creedon and Dep. Secretary for Procurement/Appropriations Anne Rung. As regular readers recall, DGS lead on effort on behalf of the […]
U.S. Labor Secretary’s Support of Anti-Competitive Project Labor Agreements Questioned at Congressional Hearing
At a Feb. 2 House Education and Labor Committee hearing, U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA) questioned U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis on President Obama’s pro-project labor agreement (PLA) Executive Order 13502 for federal construction contracts and asked why the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) mandated a PLA on a Job Corps Center in Manchester, N.H. After a […]
PLAs Are “Morally Offensive”
More and more people are starting to notice President Obama’s handout (Executive Order 13502) to the construction unions. This time, it is Glen Meakem. Mr. Meakem is an economic innovator, Gulf War veteran, Harvard graduate and a radio host on several stations in Pennsylvania – and he thinks PLAs are “morally offensive.” Here is an excerpt […]
Op-Ed: Beware of Big Labor Paybacks in PA
The Central Penn Business Journal’s Op-Ed by Gus Perea warns of the economic consequences of Big Labor paybacks via Executive Order 13502 and project labor agreements (PLAs) (“Pennsylvania Taxpayers and Employers: Beware of Big Labor Paybacks,” 12/17). On the rare occasion that a nonunion contractor wins a PLA contract, the order would bully its employees into joining […]
PA Lawmakers and Union Contractor Association Express Opposition to Project Labor Agreements
Yesterday the Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee held a hearing on project labor agreements (PLAs) and legislation (House Bill 2010, The Open Contracting Act) introduced by Reps. Stan Saylor (R-York) and John Bear (R-Lancaster) that would prohibit government-mandated PLAs on PA and PA-funded construction projects. PA lawmakers, nonunion contractors, employees and other business groups and construction associations […]
PA Hearing on Open Contracting Act Legislation Today
Today the Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee will hold a hearing on project labor agreements (PLAs) and legislation (House Bill 2010, The Open Contracting Act) introduced by Reps. Stan Saylor (R-York) and John Bear (R-Lancaster) that would prohibit government-mandated PLAs on PA and PA-funded construction projects. The committee is scheduled to hear testimony from stakeholders […]
Pennsylvania: An Unequal Employer
Commonwealth Foundation fellow Adam Cole published a great commentary discussing wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on November 17 titled, “Pennsylvania: An Unequal Employer” While this commentary covers many of the main arguments against these Big Labor handouts, that government-mandated PLAs increase construction costs and discriminates against women, minorities and nonunion construction workers, it […]
Op-Ed: Give PA and U.S. Project Labor Agreement Policies the Heave-Ho
An op-ed in The York Dispatch draws parallels between the controversy over open competition legislation in PA and President Obama’s pro-PLA Executive Order 13502 (Think Pa.’s Discriminatory Labor Agreements Are Bad? Check Out Obama’s, 11/12). Here is an excerpt: Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services (DGS) has tried to require them [PLAs] on about $800 million […]
WGAL Channel 8 Supports PA Anti-Project Labor Agreement Legislation
An editorial from WGAL Channel 8’s president and general manager, Paul Quinn, supports PA Rep. John C. Bear’s (97th District in Lancaster County) legislation (H.B. 2010) prohibiting government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) in PA. While we do not have anything against unions, we think it is unfair to eliminate the vast majority of Pennsylvania construction companies from […]
Jerry Gorski: White House Prevents Competition in Construction
Today’s Washington Examiner ran an outstanding Op-Ed questioning President Obama’s Executive Order 13502 and the White House’s support of discriminatory and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) from Jerry Gorski, president of Gorski Engineering in Collegeville, Pa. and the 2009 National Chairman of Associated Builders and Contractors. President Obama and many others are using popular words like “choice” and […]