Project Labor Agreements (PLAs)
The Merit ShopCall Governor Lamont TODAY! Tell him No PLAS!
Governor Lamont is utilizing a union-only Project Labor Agreement on the Gold Star Bridge. This PLA will significantly increase costs to you, the taxpayer, while providing no added value or benefit. PLAs only benefit special interest by guaranteeing high-value contracts go their way with no competitive bidding. When PLAs are used, taxpayers LOSE!
Call Governor Lamont TODAY and tell him you don't want to pay more for construction just to appease special interests. Project Labor Agreements are costing YOU more money with no added value. Remove government mandated PLAs on state construction projects and allow the projects to be bid fairly and competitively- that's the only way the taxpayer wins.
Project Labor Agreements
In addition to discriminating against non-union construction workers, PLAs also impact the cost of construction. To understand how they impact cost, it is important to understand that the construction industry is primarily non-union. In Connecticut, unions comprise less than 20% of the workforce. As a result, the consistent impact Connecticut has seen when a PLA is implemented is a drastic increase in price. It is simple economics - when you limit supply - you increase price.
Proponents for PLAs stress that the only way to have a quality project is a labor agreement. They will imply that they will not be able to work on the project if it is open and competitively bid. Remember: the only thing a PLA really guarantees is that 100% of the workforce will be union and paying into the union funds. The rest - is marketing.
The Truth
Projects that are open and competitively bid are built successfully every day. Union and non-union craftsmen work side by side in harmony. In fact, on the average Connecticut construction project union contractors are low bidder on as much as 60% of the total contract value.
What the union business agents are paid to do is to try to secure the entire project - and the best way to do that is to eliminate the competition.
