USACE Project Labor Agreement Survey for Washington-Baltimore Corridor Contracts Due Dec. 4
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Baltimore District issued a survey requesting feedback from the construction industry about potential government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on unspecified large-scale federal construction contracts within the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The USACE Baltimore District issued a similar PLA survey in January 2013. In response, TheTruthAboutPLAs.com documented how government-mandated PLAs in the Washington, D.C., and […]
Mayor Gray’s Project Labor Agreement on New DC United Stadium Deserves a Red Card
District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray is holding a 2 p.m. press conference at Nationals Stadium today with DC United executives and local construction labor union bosses to announce the signing of a project labor agreement (PLA) that will govern the $300 million DC United soccer stadium at the Buzzard Point area in Southwest Washington, D.C. According to […]
Great Scott: Projects Bid With and Without PLA Mandates Show PLAs Increase Costs and Reduce Competition
While researching the use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) in West Virginia in advance of Wednesday’s deadline for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey about a potential PLA mandate on a large-scale federal project in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., TheTruthAboutPLAs.com went back in time to revisit another real-world example of how discriminatory PLA […]
Data Busts Myth that Project Labor Agreements Result in Increased Local Hiring
Special interest groups are in the business of convincing government officials and taxpayers there is a public benefit to anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs), which create jobs exclusively for unionized construction workers and steer huge public construction contracts primarily to well-connected unionized contractors. In particular, proponents of government-mandated PLAs push an unsubstantiated […]
Delays and Increased Costs: The Truth about the Failed PLA on the GSA’s Headquarters at 1800 F Street
New documents recently uncovered via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request prove a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) initially used on a large-scale federal construction project—the Phase 1 modernization of the General Services Administration (GSA) headquarters at 1800 F Street Building in Washington, D.C.—led to increased costs and needless delays in the procurement process. […]
Due Jan. 14: Responses to USACE PLA Survey for Large-Scale Baltimore-Washington Area Projects
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Baltimore District has issued a survey requesting feedback from the construction industry about a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) for unspecified large-scale construction and renovation projects within the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., corridor. TheTruthAboutPLAs.com encourages the merit shop contracting community to tell the USACE that government-mandated PLAs reduce competition, increase costs, […]
The Merit Shop Goes to Washington
Members of the merit shop contracting community, welcome to Washington, DC, and ABC’s 2012 Legislative Conference. If you are here, you already understand the importance’s of ABC’s motto, “Get Into Politics or Get Out of Business!” As construction industry leaders, you will be talking with your peers and lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the negative […]
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 […]
ABC Members Testify in Support of Legislation Restoring Fairness in Federal Contracting
On June 3, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subcommittee held a hearing, “H.R. 735 and Project Labor Agreements: Restoring Competition and Neutrality to Government Construction Projects.” The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.), heard testimony about the negative impact of President Obama’s controversial Executive Order 13502 […]
Prince George’s County, Maryland Considers Wasteful PLA Requirement
Price George’s County will consider legislation today that would require contractors to agree to wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of performing work on all projects costing more than $1 million. Update: PG County passed this policy Nov. 15, 2011 (read the Prince George’s County press release on the policy here) This proposal […]