project labor agreements

LA MESA BECOMES FIRST CITY IN REGION TO ADOPT PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Carol Kim, general manager,  San Diego Building and Constructionj Trades, thanks La Mesa for adopting a PLA

September 28, 2023 (La Mesa)—By a unanimous bipartisan 5-0 vote, the La Mesa Cit Council last night voted to become the first city in San Diego County to adopt a Project Labor Agreement with the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council and associated craft unions. The PLA would apply to public construction  projects in  La Mesa with a construction value of at least $1 million.

Councilmember Colin Parent proposed approval of the PLA agreement drafted by staff after negotiations with the unions. “We’re making sure we’ll be delivering projects on time and on budget, so taxpayers get the kind of infrastructure they deserve,” said Parent, who also thanked staff and workers who showed up to testify for “standing up for your families, for each other and for working people.”


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LA MESA CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT FOR PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, ALSO RECONSIDERATION OF ELECTRONIC BILLBOARDS

By Miriam Raftery

September 23, 2023 (La  Mesa) –On Sept. 25, the La Mesa City Council will consider a staff recommendation to adopt a draft Project Labor Agreement with the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council and associated craft unions. The PLA would apply to public projects in  La Mesa with a construction value of at least $1 million.

PLAs are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements negotiated between construction unions and construction contractors that establish terms and conditions of employment for construction projects.

According to the U.S.Dept. of Labor’s PLA Resource Guide, PLAs are an effective tool to ensure timely completion of projects at or under budget,  provide employers with a reliable source of highly skilled workers,increase diversity and support equitable workforce development, and improve worker health and safety on the job.

Opponents of project labor agreements have argued that PLAs may increase cost by mandating union wages and restricting competition, are unfair to nonunion contractors and nonunion workers, and hinder use of employer training programs that are not union apprenticeships.


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PROP A WOULD BE “FINANCIAL DISASTER” FOR SAN DIEGO, STATE CONTROLLER WARNS

 

May 9, 2012 (San Diego) – It’s not often that labor groups and the conservative San Diego Taxpayers Association's former president agree on much of anything.  But both are opposed to Proposition A on the June ballot for San Diego residents. 

Now the State’s top financial officer, Controller John Chiang, has sent a letter to San Diego voters warning that if voters ban Project Labor Agreements by passing Prop A, San Diego will automatically lose massive state funding.

“Last year alone, San Diego received $158 million in construction projects, but this funding would be completely eliminated under Prop A,” Chiang warned.


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EL CAJON CHARTER CITY INITIATIVE SPARKS HEATED CONTROVERSY

By Miriam Raftery
 
“It’s going to save us a lot of money….By not having to pay prevailing wages, this gives us more control over our own destiny.” –Councilman Bill Wells
 
“I’m concerned about corruption…It is a power grab by a few individuals and the people must say no.” – David Secor, candidate for Congress
 
May 6, 2012 (El Cajon) – State Senator Joel Anderson hosted a fundraiser last week to raise money for proposition D, a measure that would turn El Cajon into a charter city. While supporters gathered inside praising the plan as a money-saver for the city, outside,  protesters carrying ”Stop corruption signs” claimed just the opposite –that Prop D could enable unfair bidding practices, suppress wages, and potentially cost more in the long run through sweetheart deals with developers  without public scrutiny.

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SUPERVISORS BAN PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS, TO DISMAY OF LABOR

 

 

UPDATE FEB. 23:  The Board has voted unanimously to outlaw project labor agreements through an ordinanance, instead of putting a similar measure on the ballot. 

 

February 20, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego's Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to place a ballot initiative before voters that would ban project labor agreements (PLAs). PLAs, adopted in other jurisdictions but not by the Supervisors, mandate that government contracts for public construction projects go to contracts that hire union workers.  

 

Supporters of PLAs say they are needed to assure that jobs will go to local workers paid decent wages, not cheap labor imported from elsewhere.  Opponents contend that outlawing PLAs will cut costs and save money for cash-strapped jurisdictions.


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SD COUNCIL TO CONSIDER LOCAL JOBS ORDINANCE WEDNESDAY; MEASURE SEEKS TO COUNTER ATTACKS ON LABOR GAINS

 

 

DeMaio pushes to ban living wage, local hiring requirements and more;

Hueso counters with local jobs ordinance

February 20, 2010 (San Diego) On Wednesday, San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio and the Associated General Contractors are trying to put an initiative on the ballot that would eliminate gains made by labor in recent years. On Wednesday, Councilman Ben Hueso will seek to counter those efforts by introducing a Local Jobs Ordinance that would make local job creation a priority on public works projects.


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