Author Archives: Andy Conlin

Erie County Executive Chris Collins Rebukes County Legislators For Catering to Big Labor

In his March 11 State of the County Address, Erie County, NY Executive Chris Collins calls out county legislators for putting Big Labor’s interest ahead of job creation.
Here’s an excerpt:
Erie County also continues to come up with creative solutions to some of our local economic development problems caused by New York State.
Because of inaction in [...]

Op-Ed: Don’t Be Fooled By Union Rhetoric On The Issue

In the latest edition of the Dubuque, IA Telegraph Herald’s “Double Take” feature, supporters and opponents of project labor agreements (PLAs) and Gov. Chet Culver’s Executive Order 22, encouraging state agencies to consider PLAs on state projects, were each given an opportunity to present their views on this issue.
Jim Giese of Dubuque, owner of Jim [...]

Rick Amato and Scott Crosby Talk PLAs in San Diego

San Diego KCBQ AM 1170’s Rick Amato talks project labor agreements (PLAs) with Scott Crosby, president of Associated Builders and Contractor’s San Diego Chapter on the March 4 edition of the Rick Amato Show.
It’s great radio and they really do an outstanding job of touching on why PLAs are a bad deal for San Diego.
Catch [...]

San Diego Continues Paying Price for Job-Killing PLAs

A March 1 San Diego Daily Transcript Op-Ed by Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction’s (CFEC) Eric Christen slams wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) for their negative impact on job growth.
Here are the highlights (Links added):
Unemployment stands at 12.4 percent. The state is facing un-ending multi-billion dollar deficits. The city of Vallejo has [...]

Iowa’s Mickelson In The Morning Show Covers PLAs

Jan Mickelson from the Mickelson in the Morning show, Iowa’s most popular daily talk show, discusses Governor Chet Culver’s Executive Order 22, encouraging state agencies to consider project labor agreements (PLAs) on state construction, with Brett McMahon, vice president of Miller & Long, a concrete construction subcontractor, and a member of the Associated Builders and [...]

Pennsylvania State Senator Lloyd Smucker On PLAs

Pennsylvania Senator Lloyd Smucker got a chance to offer his thoughts on wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) at a Feb. 16 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing with Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary James Creedon and Dep. Secretary for Procurement/Appropriations Anne Rung.
As regular readers recall, DGS lead on effort on behalf of the Rendell [...]

Iowa State Representative on Culver Pro-PLA Executive Order

In a Feb. 9 guest column in the Des Moines Register, State Representative Ralph Watts offers his thoughts on Governor Chet Culver’s Executive Order 22, which encourages state agencies to consider project labor agreements (PLAs) on state construction, and also some of Big Labor’s other priority issues in Iowa in 2010.
On Executive Order 22 and [...]

Replicating Failure In D.C.

It looks like Big Labor’s grip on the federal government isn’t enough to satisfy the construction union bosses.  They also want to control all locally funded construction in D.C. as well.
Clearly on behalf of Big Labor, District Council member Michael Brown recently introduced legislation that would require wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on [...]

Report Exposes Provision Encouraging Project Labor Agreements on California Design-Build Projects

The California State Senate’s Local Government Committee issued a 212-page report about design-build contracting on February 16 that includes comments from Associated Builders and Contractors of California criticizing language in design-build authorization laws that encourages project labor agreements (PLAs). Local governments as well as Governor Schwarzenegger are fans of the alternative construction delivery method of [...]

PLAs Are Political Payback To Big Labor

There is a textbook example of PLAs being used as political payback to Big Labor from politicians that need union support brewing in Iowa right now. This is a story about America’s most politically endangered incumbent governor and the unrealized dreams of one special interest group – Big Labor.
When Democrats took over Iowa’s state [...]

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