Silver Line

ABC Virginia President’s Letter Blasts Labor Boss’ Deceptive Pro-Project Labor Agreement Op-Ed

0 May 30, 2016  Featured, State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

On May 28, 2016, The Virginia Pilot published a strong #NoPLAs letter to the editor by ABC Virginia President Patrick J. Dean in response to a pro-project labor agreement (PLA) op-ed submitted by Dennis Martire, vice president and Mid-Atlantic regional manager of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA): Letter: Benefits agreements hurt business, taxpayers May […]

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Prince George’s County Abandons Anti-Competitive, Budget-Busting Project Labor Agreement on Laurel Library

0 October 9, 2014  Featured, State & Local Construction

Another taxpayer-funded project subject to a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) in the Washington, D.C., region has run into trouble. The Baltimore Sun reported that a union-favoring PLA required by Prince George’s County on the construction of the new library in Laurel, Md., has been scrapped because it caused delays, increased costs, and reduced competition from local contractors and […]

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Phase 1 of the Silver Line Opens Tomorrow: Let’s Recap Phase 2’s Project Labor Agreement Controversy

0 July 25, 2014  Featured, Transportation & Infrastructure

Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, commonly known as the Silver Line, opens tomorrow. This milestone is a great opportunity to revisit the project labor agreement (PLA) controversy surrounding Phase 2 of the project. While the final numbers aren’t in yet, Phase 1 cost about $2.9 billion, or $150 million more than initially planned. Phase […]

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The Top 10 Stories of 2012

0 January 16, 2013  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

Happy New Year from TheTruthAboutPLAs.com In 2012, construction industry advocates of fair and open competition in public contracting defied a difficult political environment and economy to create more opportunities for qualified merit shop contractors and their skilled employees. President Obama’s Feb. 6, 2009, Executive Order 13502 encouraging federal agencies to mandate project labor agreements (PLAs) […]

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First Project under Prince George’s County’s New Pro-PLA Policy a Disaster

0 June 27, 2012  State & Local Construction

Prince George’s County’s first attempt to implement a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandate under a November 15, 2011, policy (read the Prince George’s County press release on the policy here) is poised to be a costly disaster for county residents. Bids have been submitted for a fire station construction project in Brandywine, Md., […]

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Investor’s Business Daily Editorial: Peace for PLA is Big Labor’s Implicit Threat Behind Promotion of Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements

0 June 15, 2012  Federal Construction, State & Local Construction

An Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) editorial exposes the truth about government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) and chronicles political efforts to restrict and impose PLA mandates in California, Virginia, New Hampshire and San Diego on local, state and federal construction projects (“Public Wakes Up To Unions’ PLA Power Play,” 6/14/12). Enjoy this excelent editorial (my emphasis in bold): Unions: […]

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MWAA Drops Discriminatory PLA Preference Policy on Phase 2 of Silver Line Metrorail Project

1 June 6, 2012  State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

Today the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) voted 11-1 to remove the union-favoring project labor agreement (PLA) preference policy on Phase 2 of the Silver Line expansion to Dulles International Airport. Dropping the PLA preference policy will ensure fair and open competition for construction contracts on this important $2.7 billion project. Now that the PLA […]

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Virginia Passes Law Curtailing Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreement Schemes

2 April 24, 2012  State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

In a win for taxpayers and Virginia’s merit shop construction industry, on April 9, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) signed the Fair and Open Competition in Government Contracting Act (HB 33) into law. H.B. 33 prohibits the Commonwealth of Virginia and recipients of state assistance from mandating project labor agreements (PLAs) and enacting PLA preferences discriminating […]

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Airport Authority Continues Big Labor Favors on Dulles Metro Silver Line

0 February 23, 2012  State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure

Last week, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) gave Big Labor Bosses a generous Valentine’s Day gift. On Wednesday, MWAA passed a resolution adopting a new policy needlessly favoring contractors that submit proposals promising to use a union project labor agreement (PLA) to construct Phase 2 of the $2.8 billion Silver Line metro extension project […]

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Virginia Construction Industry Supports Legislation Ensuring Fair and Open Competition On Public Construction Contracts

0 December 14, 2011  State & Local Construction, Transportation & Infrastructure, Uncategorized

Yesterday, ABC Virginia issued a press release supporting the Fair and Open Competition in Government Contracting Act (HB 33) pre-filed this Monday in Richmond (see the full release below).  HB 33 prohibits Virginia and recipients of state funding or assistance from requiring or prohibiting contractors to enter into union agreements, such as a project labor agreement (PLA), as […]

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