May
2012 9
2012 9
Vikings Stadium Bill Clears MN Legislature but Team Owners Will Have to Pay Extra $100M
UPDATE: The stadium proposal has passed the Senate as well. See who voted how via IUOE Local 49. Minnesota’s effort to replace the aging Metrodome, where the Minnesota Vikings play, progressed on Monday when the House passed a stadium proposal by a vote of 73-58. It now moves on to the Senate. The $975 stadium ...
May
2012 8
2012 8
WORKER VICTORY: Connecticut Senate and House Overwhelmingly Support PLA Legislation
A bill that ensures that Connecticut can use Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on public works projects cleared the State Senate with a 32-3 vote last week and, yesterday, cleared the House by an equally sizable margin. A legal battle in Hartford brought to light the need for this important legislation which allows the local hire, ...
Apr
2012 26
2012 26
BIG: California Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Bill to End Bans on Project Labor Agreements
Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire contracts that set standards for wages, diversity, local hire, health coverage and safety on a given public works project. Large municipalities in California, such as San Diego, have attempted to ban them in the past because they claim PLAs are too union-friendly. Often times, though, union contractors...
Apr
2012 13
2012 13
Important Bill Protecting PLAs in California is Approved, Passes Full Assembly
The following announcement was made by the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California… *** An important Building Trades backed bill that specifically clarifies that local governments that enact a blanket ban on PLAs for public works projects may not receive any state funding for construction, was approved today by the state...
Apr
2012 9
2012 9
Enviro Groups, Building Trades Join in Support of Labor Agreement on CA Solar Project
A new solar power project in Imperial County, California has put the marriage of environmental interest and job-creation on display with the signing of a Project Labor Agreement that will bring local hire to the clean energy Calexico I and Calexico II projects. The Sierra Club, Audubon California, Defenders of Wildlife, the Natural Resources...
Mar
2012 29
2012 29
Majority of Minneapolis City Council Approves Portion of Bill to Pay for New Vikings Stadium
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has announced that he has the support of a majority of the Minneapolis City council to go forward with approval of their portion of a larger bill that would have the city, state, and Minnesota Vikings franchise collectively pay for a new football stadium. The state legislature has been waiting to ...
Mar
2012 27
2012 27
4,000 Jobs, $2 Billion in “Economic Impact” Slated for Long Beach Bridge Construction
Construction tradesmen are waiting anxiously to find out who will be awarded a $700 million contract to replace the Gerald Desmond bridge in Long Beach. A Project Labor Agreement that would ensure local and minority hire, as well as safety and wage provisions, has been discussed but not yet approved: Proposals for the new bridge, ...
Mar
2012 26
2012 26
Labor Leaders Publish 6-Point “Invest in California” Plan, Unveil Opposition Argument to PLA Ban
The California Labor Federation and the State Building and Construction Trades Council (SBCTC) recently unveiled their new “Invest in California” jobs plan which they are labeling as a “job plan for the 99 percent.” Looking to reinvigorate California’s economy, labor leaders put together the 6-point plan to provide a...
Mar
2012 21
2012 21
CEO Pens Pro-PLA Piece, Suggests Union and Non-Union Participation on WA Transit Project
A recent opinion piece by Pat McCarthy and Joni Earl in Washington state’s The News Tribune discusses the efficient nature of construction projects when issues are ironed out before construction begins under a Project Labor Agreement (PLA). Speaking about Sound Transit’s new project to build more than $9.5 worth of light rail line,...
Mar
2012 16
2012 16
Huge Port of Los Angeles Project Breaks Ground with Union Labor
Los Angeles’ signing of a Project Labor Agreement for the Port of Los Angeles development was easily one of 2011′s highlights for the construction industry. Yesterday, ground broke on the multi-faceted effort: The Downtown Harbor project will cut into approximately 1.2 acres of existing waterfront land along Harbor Boulevard between...
Mar
2012 14
2012 14
Niagara Alliance Calls for Unprecedented 30 Percent Minority, 10 Percent Female Hiring Provisions
The Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope (NOAH), a coalition of organizers looking to improve life for working Western New Yorkers, wants the language of the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) that will be used to build a new train station to be changed to include more hiring of women, minorities and locals. In a letter to ...
Mar
2012 14
2012 14
1,500 People Turn Out in Meridien, CT in Favor of a Project Labor Agreement
A Meriden, Connecticut City Council/School Building Committee meeting about the possible use of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for a $250 million renovation project of local high schools drew a whopping 1,500 attendants, many of whom described the meeting as “debate.” According to the Record Journal, 2,200 residents signed petitions...
