ABC Counters Judge’s Injunction on PLA Agreements
The Associated Builders and Contractors has issued a statement disagreeing with a U.S. District Court ruling related to project labor agreement mandates.
 |
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to the North America’s Building Trades Unions that reinstates project labor agreement mandates on certain U.S. Department of Defense and General Service Administration construction contracts over $35 million.
The PLA mandates have been widely criticized by the construction industry, taxpayer watchdogs and lawmakers for inflating construction costs, delaying projects and steering contracts to unionized firms and union labor.
“ABC respectfully disagrees with the court’s reinstatement of illegal and costly project labor agreement mandates on a wide range of federal construction projects critical to America’s national security,” said Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of government affairs. “Instead, all government-mandated PLAs should be entirely rescinded by the Trump administration to prioritize efficient use of taxpayer dollars on high-quality, safely built projects over steering contracts to special interests.”
She said rescinding this mandate would build on the administration’s ongoing efforts to reward merit in federal contracting, which she said would be a significant victory for taxpayers that would reduce federal construction costs by up to $10 billion annually.
“By discriminating against the 89.7% of the industry workforce that is not unionized, PLAs discourage competition by forcing contractors to sign union collective bargaining agreements, hire workers from union halls and apprenticeship programs and accept compulsory union representation on behalf of any members of their existing workforces, and exposes those workers to union wage theft of up to 34% of their compensation unless they join a union and vest in union benefits plans,” Swearingen said. “Taxpayers lose when responsible, qualified contractors are effectively and unfairly excluded from bidding on contracts to build essential infrastructure.”
Continuing, she said ABC will continue to fight for fair and open competition that allows the most qualified contractors and workers to bid for federal work on a level playing field.
“Americans deserve long-lasting construction projects built safely, on time and on budget by the best contractors and workers, regardless of labor affiliation,” Swearingen said.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The April/March 2025 issue of Contractor Supply magazine is here!
Our cover story, Four Generations, One Legacy, for more than 100 years, customers have counted on the family-owned LIttle Hardware Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina to always have the right tools for the job. Now, the fourth generation of the family is leading the company into its next century.
Also in this issue are Industry Updates on Adhesives and Sealants; Anchoring Systems; and Safety Equipment.
This digital edition, sponsored by BECK AMERICA Inc., is fully searchable and contains live links to every advertiser and new product listing. Click away!
| Read the Articles Read the Digital Edition |
