PRIORITY ISSUE - PLAS 

Project Labor Agreements (PLAs)

ABC is strongly opposed to union-only project labor agreements on any construction project. These agreements not only exclude open shop contractors from bidding on projects paid for by their own tax dollars, but also drive up the cost of construction by reducing competition for the work.

Some Facts about Union-Only PLAs

Under a typical union-only PLA:

  • Construction contracts are awarded to companies who recognize designated unions as the representatives of their employees on that job;

  • All workers must go through the union hiring hall and cannot report directly to their normal employer's workplace;

  • All employees must pay union dues without any opportunity to choose the union as their representative;

  • All contractors must pay union wages and benefits; and

  • All employees and contractors must obey the union's restrictive and antiquated work rules, job classifications and arbitration procedures.

Under union-only agreements, employees are
forced to sign up with a union to work on a project.
Yet 80% of DC construction workers
choose not to belong to a union.

NO UNION-ONLY PLA ON DC BASEBALL STADIUM
A PRIORITY ISSUE FOR ABC


By the time Major League Baseball announced that the District of Columbia had been selected for the relocation of the Montreal Expos team, rumors were already circulating that the City would follow the blue print laid out by the new Convention Center, which was conducted under the auspices of a union-only PLA.

Fair and open competition among both union and non-union construction bidders has proven to be the most successful and cost-effective approach to stadium construction.

FAIR COMPETITIONvs.UNION-ONLY
Stadiums built using
Fair and Open Competition

Results:
On-time
On-budget

Stadiums built under
Union-Only PLAs

Results:
Delays
Cost Overruns

FedEx Field
(Landover, MD)


Camden Yards
(Baltimore, MD)

Ravens Stadium
(Baltimore, MD)

Rangers Ballpark
(Arlington, TX)

Turner Field
(Atlanta, GA)

Ericsson Stadium
(Charlotte, NC)

Coors Field
(Denver, CO)

Astros Stadium
(Houston,TX)

Safeco Field
(Seattle, WA)
Delivered late mid-season
Most expensive stadium ever built - $200 million over budget

Miller Park
(Milwaukee, WI)
Delayed by a year due to crane collapse and worker fatalities
$100 million cost overruns

PacBell Park
(San Francisco, CA)
Late due to union labor shortages
$70 million over budget

Cleveland Stadium
(Cleveland, OH)
$60 million cost overruns

Comerica Field
(Detroit, MI)
$25 million over budget
Workers sued for race and sex discrimination

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Even if your firm is not likely to bid on stadium construction work, your help is still needed to keep the playing field level in the DC construction market.

A union-only PLA on a stadium project will set the stage for future City projects to follow suit.

Contact Mayor Williams and the members of the DC City Council to let them know how you feel. Email Judy Gretsch for letter suggestions and contact information.

Talk with your employees about the risks of a union-only PLA and encourage them to share their views with elected officials.

For more ideas on how you can help, contact Bob Zinsmeister, director of government affairs.

 WHAT ABC OF METRO WASHINGTON IS DOING

  • Using a member Task Force to map out and implement a strategy to prevent a union-only agreement on a stadium construction project.

  • Firing off letters to the Mayor, City Council, and other key officials to express our strong opposition to any PLA being placed on the stadium.

  • Meeting with federal and DC elected and appointed officials to educate them on the implications of a union-only agreement.

  • Working with other groups to establish the DC Fair Play Coalition for a united business voice in favor of open competition on publicly-funded projects.

    • Visit www.dcfairplay.org for more information about the DC Fair Play Coalition.

  • Implementing a public relations and media strategy.

  • Providing members with tools, such as a model letter to elected officials, for getting their opinions heard.


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