Pennsylvania Represenative John Bear Speaks Out Against PLAs on Comcast Local Edition
PA Representative John Bear calls project labor agreements (PLAs) “discrimination, pure and simple” and said he is “surprised we’re even talking about this [PLAs]” while PA is in the middle of a historic budget crisis during a recent episode of Comcast Local Edition. Rep. Bear, a leading voice against government waste, recognizes that taxpayers ALWAYS […]
Philadelphia National Association of Minority Contractors Blasts Project Labor Agreements
John Macklin, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors and vice president of the association’s northeast region, wrote an excellent Op-Ed in opposition to a project labor agreement (PLA) on the $400 million Graterford Prison expansion project. It ran in the print edition of the Philadelphia Daily News as well as the […]
Paid, Violent Construction Union Members Protest Pro-Taxpayer/Anti-Project Labor Agreement Press Conference in Harrisburg
A well-compensated angry mob and rude group of Pennsylvania construction union members descended on yesterday’s press conference, held by Pennsylvania Representative John Bear (R-Lancaster) and Republican House Policy Committee Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York) on the Harrisburg capital steps, to protest the introduction of legislation that would end discriminatory and costly project labor agreements (PLA) on state and state […]
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Speak Out Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
Pennsylvania Representative John Bear (R-Lancaster) and Republican House Policy Committee Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York), along with the Keystone chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, held a press conference on the steps of the Pennsylvania capital today, September 29 at 10am to announce the introduction of legislation prohibiting project labor agreements (PLAs) on public construction in Pennsylvania. Senator Bear clearly understands […]
ABC Keystone Chapter Criticizes PLAs on “The Box” Radio Program
ABC Keystone chapter president Jack Zimmer and government affairs director Steve Swarney slammed PLAs on “The Box” radio program hosted by Matt Brouillette. Mr. Brouillette is president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, which is “dedicated to advancing state-level public policies based on our nation’s founding principles of limited government, economic freedom and personal responsibility.” Mr. […]
Required Reading: Non-Union Contractors Lose In Obama Policy
The Bulletin, a Philadelphia area newspaper, printed an excellent piece on President Obama’s Executive Order 13502 (“Non-Union Contractors Lose In Obama Policy,” 8/30). It is required reading, as the piece features great quotes from ABC member contractor Brett McMahon, who provides thoughtful insight into how PLAs impact non-union contractors and their workforce and why the popularity of PLAs […]
PA: Benner Township Prison Project Delayed Because Bids “Unacceptably High”
The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) has delayed construction of the State Correctional Institution at Benner Township because of “unacceptably high bids,” according to state officials. In fact, Benner Township state Senator Jake Corman told local media that “the bids were tens of millions of dollars over the state’s estimated $200 million cost for the […]
Project Labor Agreement News Round-Up
The Bulletin continued to cover the Pennsylvania Department of General Services’ decision to require a PLA on the $400 million Graterford prison project. Additionally, the Southeast Pennsylvania chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors launched a marketing campaign to inform the public about the impact of the Graterford prison project PLA on local workers and the […]
The Perils of Slavish Devotion to Organized Labor
In a 7/19 commentary, part of a Pittsburgh Tribune series on how to fix Pennsylvania’s economy, Jake Haulk from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy and Matthew J. Brouillette from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives don’t hold back in outlining the negative impact of big labor’s “political stranglehold on legislation in Pennsylvania despite representing less than two […]
PA Government Cronyism Continues with Rockview Jail PLA
Here is an interesting update (and documentation of government corruption and cronyism) on the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Benner Township (commonly called the Rockview prison project), which is one of a series of approximately $830 million in jail construction projects the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) is putting out to bid that may […]