Ethics Complaint Raises Questions About UMass Crony Contracting Scheme

Yesterday, The Boston Globe reported that a group of nonunion contractors filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission alleging that a project labor agreement (PLA) favoring union labor on $750 million worth of construction at the UMass Boston campus violated the state’s conflict of interest law when it was approved by a board that includes two [...]

University of Iowa Board of Regents Give Final Approval to Coralville PLA

The University of Iowa Board of Regents gave its final approval to a proposal to require a wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreement (PLA) on the construction of the $72 million University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics outpatient clinic at the Iowa River Landing in Coralville, IA.
As we have reported in an earlier post, University [...]

Laura Ingraham and Iowa Small Business Owner Outraged by Obama and Culver Project Labor Agreement Executive Orders

Jeremy Price, owner of ABC Iowa member Price Industrial Electric, appeared on the Laura Ingraham radio show July 16 to discuss President Obama’s pro-project labor agreement (PLA) Executive Order 13502, which encourages federal agencies to steer lucrative federal construction contracts exceeding $25 million to unionized contractors and union members.
March 15, 2010, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver [...]

Branstad Vows to Undo Project Labor Agreements

Iowa gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad has spoke out this week against against Gov. Chet Culver’s Executive Order 22 and his efforts to encourage state agencies to consider and implement wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on state projects.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette asked the former governor about the PLA issue on the campaign trail.  Here [...]

Culver Campaign Fails to Understand How PLAs Harm Iowa Businesses

The executive order signed earlier this year by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is becoming a gubernatorial campaign issue, as Republican challenger Terry Branstad and others critical of project labor agreements (PLAs) make the case that these anti-competitive schemes will hurt Iowa business and taxpayers (“Culver defends project labor agreements for public projects,” The Iowa Independent, [...]

Univ. of Iowa Board of Regents Approve Crony Contracts for Coralville Clinic

Iowa Governor Chet Culver’s effort to encourage public bodies to require wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) is paying dividends for his Big Labor allies. The Iowa University Board of Regents voted 5-4, along party lines, in favor of requiring a PLA on the construction of the $73 million outpatient clinic for the [...]

Gov. Culver Delivers for Big Labor

In what should be no surprise to anyone, Gov. Chet Culver announced today that the Iowa Department of Administrative Services has been approved to move forward with wasteful and discriminatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on two upcoming projects for the Department of Corrections.
Here is the text of Gov. Culver’s release announcing the PLAs:
Gov. Culver: Welcomes [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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