After only a few months in office, the Obama Administration issued a controversial executive order [1] that encourages federal agencies to use discriminatory Project Labor Agreements [2] (PLAs) when allocating lucrative government contracts. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, PLAs give unionized companies preferential access to government work, which allows federal agencies to pressure unwilling employers to turn their workers over to union bosses. Fortunately, the first federal PLA issued under this executive order has just been defeated in New Hampshire [3]:

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has canceled its solicitation for bids to construct a new Job Corps Center in Manchester, N.H. under a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA). The cancellation came in response to a protest filed with the Government Accountability Office Office (GAO) by ABC member North Branch Construction . . .

As the Associated Builders and Contractors' release points out, PLAs cut nonunion companies out of the bidding process, making federal projects more susceptible to wasteful union work rules and massive cost overruns. The Foundation has filed public comments [4] opposing the use of PLAs with the Department of Labor. Although the DoL's response has been marked by shady union boss maneuvering [5], we hope the Administration will take note and rescind its discriminatory executive order. (Of course, we won't be holding our breath given how close the administration is to Big Labor [6]).

For more information, here's a CNN segment on PLAs that includes an interview with Foundation Vice President Stefan Gleason: