PLAs are structured to make a project essentially a union-only job. Although PLAs are replete with provisions that mandate the union way of doing business, there are four main provisions of PLAs that are particularly objectionable to ABC:
- PLAs require non-union companies to pay their workers’ health and welfare benefits to union trust funds, even though these companies have their own benefit plans. Companies thus have to pay benefits twice: once to the union and once to the company plan. Workers never see any of their benefits sent to the unions unless they decide to leave their non-union employer and remain with the union until vested.
- PLAs require Merit Shop companies to obtain their workers from union hiring halls. This means that a Merit Shop company has to send its workers to the union hiring hall and hope that the union sends the same workers back.
- PLAs require Merit Shop companies to obtain apprentices exclusively from union apprenticeship programs. Participants in state-approved Merit Shop apprenticeship programs cannot work on a job covered by a PLA. This means that young people enrolled in Merit Shop apprenticeship programs can find themselves excluded from work in their hometowns!
- Non-union workers must pay union dues and fees or join a union.
If you have concerns about PLAs, please contact ABC for more real life examples of how Project Labor Agreements work against local workers and taxpayers and get more information at www.thetruthaboutplas.com.