An article on KWY.com calls the re-enacted Project Labor Agreement executed by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter “a win-win for everyone.”
False.
Project Labor Agreements, or PLAs, are discriminatory, limit competition, create a monopoly, and cost taxpayers money. In fact, PLAs are a lose-lose for a lot of people and only seem to be win-win for pay-to-play politics.
PLAs are pre-hire contracts that require projects be awarded only to contractors and subcontractors that agree to the following conditions, which effective limits the pool of qualified bidders to only union contractors:
- Recognize unions as the representatives of their employees on a project.
- Use the union hiring hall exclusively to obtain workers.
- Obtain apprentices exclusively from union apprenticeship programs.
- Force merit shop employers to pay into underfunded union benefit plans without the opportunity for their employees to receive benefits from these plans unless they join a union and become vested.
- Follow costly, restrictive and inefficient union work rules.
- Force workers to pay union dues and fees.
We adamantly oppose the Mayor’s new executive order. Our country’s economic system is based on free enterprise, defined as the freedom of individuals and businesses to operate and compete with a minimum of government interference or regulation. By encouraging PLAs, not only is Mayor Nutter interfering with open shop contractors’ rights to conduct business, he’s placing an unnecessary financial burden on taxpayers. That’s a lose-lose.
Please read our press release for more information.
