Those interested in seeing an end to Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) should visit and share ABC’s Facebook page The Truth About PLAs for up to the minute status reports on the legislative fight against PLAs. ABC also makes it easier for you to follow and support legislation like the Government Neutrality in Contracting Act (S.119/H.R.735) by visiting its Advocacy Center.
For those new to the topic, on Wednesday, Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) introduced a bill designed to reverse President Obama’s Executive Order 13502. That EO, one of four issued during the President’s first month in office in 2009, allows federal executive agencies to require contractors on large-scale government construction projects to enter into a project labor agreement as a condition of being awarded a contract. A “project labor agreement” (PLA) is a pre-hire collective-bargaining agreement – often involving multiple employers and multiple unions – designed to systemize labor relations at a construction site. For a solid insider view on how those deals really get done read Unions Negotiating With Themselves in the Iowa Republican. Of tangential interest, the New York Times had an interesting piece last week Trade Unions in City Confront a Rise in Nonunion Projects.
