Project Labor Agreements Are Evidence of Moral Breakdown
Rarely mentioned in public policy discussions about Project Labor Agreements are the moral implications of using the government as an agent to prod contractors and their employees into union agreements. Is it right for a government to require contractors to make employee fringe benefit payments to union-managed trust funds and obtain their workers from a […]
MI Open Competition Act Protecting Taxpayers and Merit Shop Construction Workers
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed S.B.165 on July 19 and it is already having an impact for taxpayers and the vast majority of the construction workforce that chooses not to join a labor union. This week, Wayne State University cancelled an RFP for the renovation of a softball locker room that contained a requirement that […]
Hey Ohio, Open Competition Could be on the Way!
The march against wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) has moved to the Ohio General Assembly, where Rep. Ron Young has introduced the latest measure to prohibit the use of these Big Labor handouts on taxpayer funded work. Here is the text from Rep. Young’s press release, issued February 11: YOUNG SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO […]
Detroit News Editorial: Break the Barriers
The editorial board of The Detroit News has once again come out against job killing policies that line the pockets of one special interest group at the expense of Michigan taxpayers. This issue was discussed in the context of The Detroit News urging the newly-minted Snyder administration to remove the government-imposed hurdles to job creation […]
New Billboard Tells Gov. Patrick to Halt the Assault on Taxpayers
The Massachusetts Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has launched a new billboard telling Gov. Deval Patrick (D) to halt the assault on Massachusetts small business. In June, the UMass Building Authority approved a requirement that all construction contractors must enter into a wasteful project labor agreement (PLA) with Big Labor in order to […]
Dem Candidate for Pennsylvania Governor: CCAC PLA Requirement was “Probably Wrong”
Allegheny County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato (D) criticized the Community College of Allegheny County’s (CCAC) requirement that all bidders for the upcoming construction of a $21 million science building agree to sign a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) with Big Labor as a condition of performing work on this project. Here’s an […]
Contractors Fight PLA Mandate on Pittsburgh Area Community College Project
There has been a flurry of activity surrounding the fight for fair and open competition in the Pittsburgh area over the last 72 hours. The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) was scheduled to receive bids for the $21 million construction of a new 65,000 sq. ft. science center on August 10. Unfortunately, buried within […]
Nebraska Arena Board Says NO to PLA for Haymarket Arena
By unanimous decision, the board overseeing the construction of the new $340 million University of Nebraska Haymarket Arena rejected Big Labor’s call for a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) on the arena’s construction. This is a significant win for local taxpayers and the 87 percent of the Nebraska construction workforce that chooses not to join […]
Preserve Open Competition in Nebraska
Union bosses have opened a new front in their continuing effort to deny taxpayers value and accountability on public construction projects. Big Labor’s latest target is the Haymarket Arena project in Lincoln, Nebraska. As we reported last week, University of Nebraska Regent Tim Clare urged the board that will oversee the construction of this $344 […]