A Win For Taxpayers and Free Enterprise: Wisconsin Is 23rd State to Pass Law Restricting Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
On April 17, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed SB 3 into law, which promotes fair and open competition on contracts for construction services funded by Wisconsin taxpayers. The “Project Labor Agreement Neutrality Bill” now known as Act 10 prohibits the government from mandating controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) on state, state-assisted and local construction projects […]
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 […]
Iowa Law Restricts Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements, Protects Hawkeye State Construction Industry
On April 13, Gov. Terry Branstad (R-Iowa) signed SF 438 into law, which promotes fair and open competition on contracts for construction services funded by Iowa taxpayers. The measure will ensure that the government cannot mandate controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) on state, state-assisted and local construction projects, guaranteeing that the 85 percent of Iowa’s […]
2017 Update: ABC’s Fight Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
In 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13502, which encourages federal agencies to mandate project labor agreements (PLAs) on large-scale federal construction projects exceeding $25 million in total cost on a case-by-case basis. Many merit shop advocates of fair and open competition predicted the order would steer billions of dollars’ worth of federal construction contracts to […]
Courts Rule in Favor of #NoPLA Laws Promoting Fair and Open Competition
Proponents of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) have unsuccessfully challenged federal and state laws and executive orders that prevent lawmakers and agencies from imposing anti-competitive and costly union-favoring PLA requirements on taxpayer-funded construction projects. When mandated by government entities, PLAs have a dismal track record of increasing costs, reducing competition, and discriminating against experienced construction companies […]
ABC Delaware Fighting Costly Pro-Project Labor Agreement Legislation
The merit shop is under attack in The First State. ABC Delaware is engaged in a fight to defeat House Bill 283, which requires government agencies to “directly negotiate in good faith a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations engaged in the construction industry; or condition the award of a contract to […]
Victory in Idaho: Appeals Court Upholds Idaho Law Protecting Fair and Open Competition on Public Construction Projects
Big news out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit: Idaho’s law restricting state agencies or political subdivisions from requiring contractors to enter into project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of performing public work stands. There are no legal challenges against any of the enacted 23 state anti-PLA mandate laws or executive […]
Nevada Becomes the 23rd State to Ban PLA Mandates, Is Ohio Next?
Gov. Sandoval signed legislation last week to make Nevada the 23rd state to restrict the ability of state and local government entities to implement wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) mandates on taxpayer funded construction projects. Nevada is the 20th state to take action on the issue since President Barack Obama issued his executive […]
Federal Court Upholds Louisiana Law Prohibiting Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
Another union-backed legal challenge to a state law protecting fair and open competition for taxpayer-funded construction contracts has failed. It is another big win for free enterprise and builds on existing case law permitting states to restrict these crony contracting schemes. A federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana May 27 ruled that Louisiana’s […]
West Virginia Becomes 22nd State Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
West Virginia became a bit more wonderful today for taxpayers, the contracting community, and supporters of fair and open competition. By signing SB 409 this morning, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin became the first Democrat Governor in the nation, and the 19th governor since January 2011, to sign legislation or an executive order banning wasteful […]