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USACE Louisville District PLA Survey Due 3.13 – Fort Campbell, KY
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a survey soliciting comments from the construction industry about the potential use of a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLAs) for a project at Fort Campbell Middle School, Fort Campbell, KY. ABC National, encourages the merit shop contracting community to respond to this PLA survey. Tell USACE government-mandated PLAs reduce competition, increase […]
Study: Project Labor Agreement Mandates Inflate the Cost of Connecticut School Construction by 19.8%
Study: Connecticut schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 19.8% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements.
Minnesota School District Adopts Discriminatory Union-only PLA
In a disappointing vote on Tuesday night, the Roseville School Board in Minnesota voted 4-2 to adopt a discriminatory union-only project labor agreement that will drive up the costs of district construction for years to come, limit competition, and discriminate against local workers – all while paying off special interest union bosses in the process. […]
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 […]
Project Labor Agreement Mandate Scheme Rejected by Minnesota School Board
ABC continues to push back against costly and inefficient government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) at the local level. This week, the Farmington School Board in Minnesota voted 4-1 to reject a PLA requirement for its upcoming school construction and repair projects. Last fall the voters of Farmington approved a $45 million referendum for these projects. […]
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 […]
West Jefferson Hills School District Project Labor Agreement Exposed
On May 26, 2015, the West Jefferson Hills School District (WJHSD) Board voted 7-1 to require a project labor agreement (PLA) on construction contracts to build a $100 million high school south of Pittsburgh. After learning about this discriminatory PLA mandate, on August 18, 2015, the ABC Western Pennsylvania Chapter wrote this letter to WJHSD […]
No Surprise: Big Labor Fails to Meet Meriden PLA Hiring Goals
Construction unions in Meriden, Conn. are failing to meet local, minority and veteran hiring goals on two high profile school projects – a key promise made by union leaders during their effort to secure wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) requirements on approximately $220 million worth of contracts to renovate two local high schools. […]
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 […]
Keystone Research Center Studies Promoting Pennsylvania Project Labor Agreements Can’t Be Trusted
Proponents of discriminatory and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) have concocted some wild schemes to help misguided and corrupt lawmakers steer taxpayer-funded contracts to their union workers and unionized contractor political supporters with little competition and public scrutiny, but this latest caper from Bristol Township, Pa., is remarkable and deserves to be exposed. In August 2013, when […]