The District of Columbia Council Is Wasting Taxpayer Money on Project Labor Agreement Schemes
District of Columbia voters and businesses monitoring revenue shortfalls and proposed tax hikes in the D.C. Council’s FY2021 budget, passed July 23 and awaiting future action from Mayor Bowser, should be concerned about $50 million to $100 million in waste and increased costs resulting from a scheme by some D.C. Council members and construction trade […]
Study: Project Labor Agreement Mandates Inflate Cost of New Jersey School Construction by 16.25%
A study released in August by the Beacon Hill Institute found that New Jersey schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 16.25% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements. The study, which looked at 107 schools built in New Jersey since 2002, found that those built under […]
Lawsuit Says Union-Signatory Contractor Excluded by Project Labor Agreement Mandated on Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission Scudder Falls Bridge
Joseph N. DiStefano, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, knows a good story about corruption and waste at the expense of hardworking taxpayers when he sees one. In a column published August 12, 2019, DiStefano takes aim at a fishy project labor agreement scheme on a bridge construction project, mandated by an interstate bridge commission, that […]
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 Agreements Raise Costs on Ohio Schools 13 Percent, Study Finds
A study by the Beacon Hill Institute has shown that when mandated by the government on taxpayer-funded construction projects, project labor agreements (PLAs) increase the costs of construction 13.12 percent. The study examined 88 schools across Ohio that were built since 2000 and found government-mandated PLAs cost $23.12 per square foot more (13.12 percent) than projects built […]
WSJ Project Labor Agreement Op-Ed: A Wisconsin Lesson for Trump the Builder
The Wall Street Journal editorial and op-ed pages have invested barrels of ink opposing anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). In numerous instances (see pieces at end of blog post) the WSJ editorial board has derided PLA mandates, calling them “crony contracts,” “a rotten deal for taxpayers,” and worse: “PLAs are a form of political bid-rigging that robs […]
West Jefferson Hills School Board Members Who Support a 15% Cost Increase
Carolyn Bourgeois Email Darlene Schreiber Email John Hosmer Email Dr. David Graham Email Anna Louise Lilley Email Anthony M. Angotti Email Alan J. Caponi Email PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT (PLA) MANDATES ARE BAD FOR THE WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT. How PLAs Increase Costs PLA Mandates INCREASE Project Costs – studies show these mandates increase school construction […]
Illinois Gov. Rauner Calls for Project Labor Agreement and Prevailing Wage Reform
Yesterday, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered a State of the State address to Illinois lawmakers, laying out bold reforms to make Illinois more competitive. Included in Gov. Rauner’s plan to reinvent Illinois is a call to eliminate anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and reform Illinois prevailing wage rules, which will help reduce taxpayer-funded construction costs […]
PLA Requirement Costs Southern California Taxpayers
In a story we can file under “no surprise here,” we learned earlier this week that the PLA mandate on the Rancho Campana High School caused the budget for the project to come in higher than expected. The Oxnard Union High School Board in Ventura, Calif., voted to approve approximately $58 million for the construction […]
Taxpayers Win Big Without Federal Project Labor Agreement on New Hampshire Job Corps Center
Taxpayers will save more than $6 million on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Manchester, New Hampshire, Job Corps Center project thanks to the benefits of fair and open competition free from anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). This important example of a federal project bid with and without a PLA requirement undermines […]