Phase 2 Silver Line Dispute Grabs Headlines; Opposition to Project Labor Agreement Grows
Opposition continues to mount against the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority’s (MWAA) April 6 resolution mandating a union-favoring project labor agreement (PLA) that contractors are required to agree to in order to win construction contracts on the $3.5 billion Phase 2 Dulles Metro Rail Silver Line project in Northern Virginia. (See previous blog posts from TheTruthAboutPLAs.com […]
Louisiana Bans Government-Mandated PLAs on State Funded Projects
The wave continues! With Gov. Bobby Jindal’s signature yesterday of S.B. 76, Louisiana is now the fifth state to ban government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) to some degree in 2011 and the ninth state to do so nationwide. This is a huge development for taxpayers in Louisiana. This bill guarantees that free enterprise – not Big Labor […]
One is the Loneliest Number for a Michigan Congressman
One is the loneliest number for Michigan Congressman Thad McCotter (R), who last week gained the distinction of being the only Republican in the U.S. House or the Michigan Senate to vote in favor of wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on public construction. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy covered this issue […]
Merit Shop Advocates Prepare to Open a New Front in the Fight Against PLAs in California
Merit shop advocates in California are taking the fight against wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) to northern California. This campaign will make the City of Sacramento and Sacramento County the 8th and 9th local government entities in California to ban government-mandated PLAs. Here is a press release from the Coalition for Fair Employment […]
U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to Examine Costly Government-Mandated PLAs Again
On Friday, June 3, at 9:30 AM, the Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing, “H.R. 735 and Project Labor Agreements: Restoring Competition and Neutrality to Government Construction Projects.” This hearing is the next step in the legislative process towards House passage […]
Louisiana Legislation Would Ban Government-Mandated PLAs
The drive to prohibit wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) in Louisiana got some national media attention this week. Here are the highlights from the May 25 Washington Examiner piece, “Project Labor Agreements Could be Used to Undermine Right to Work Laws and Force Double Payment of Benefits.” “Louisiana’s Right-to-Work Law allows employees within […]
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Crushes Fair and Open Competition for Hospital Project
The seven-month battle at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors over requiring contractors to sign the county’s first government-mandated project labor agreement (renamed on the May 24 agenda as a “Community Workforce Agreement”) came to an end today (May 24, 2011) with a regrettable result for county taxpayers, as well as businesses and their […]
Tennessee Becomes the Latest State to Ban Government-Mandated PLAs
On Friday, May 20, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) signed HB 1498, which prohibits the use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on state and local construction projects. It also prohibits involuntary PLAs on projects that receive state financial support and bars local elected officials from enacting wage requirements that are higher than Tennessee’s prevailing […]
PLA Legislation on the Move – Mid-May Edition
Tennessee Legislation to prohibit wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on state and local construction projects is on its way to Gov. Bill Haslam (R) for his signature or veto. We urge Gov. Haslam to take quick action on this bi-partisan legislation, HB1498, which will protect taxpayers from these Big Labor handouts on public […]
ABC Virginia Tells MWAA Phase 2 Metro Rail Construction Project Labor Agreement Scheme Will Increase Costs and Hurt Virginia’s Construction Workforce
The Virginia Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC VA) continues to raise objections to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority’s (MWAA) resolution mandating a union-favoring project labor agreement (PLA) on $3.5 billion worth of Phase 2 construction for the Dulles Metro Rail Project. On Friday, ABC VA sent a letter (pdf) to MWAA chair Charles Snelling […]