These PLA's insure the taxpayers increase cost and stifle competition. Unfair labor agreements and you wonder why the state and local governments are broke. A power sharing arrangement between the liberal socialist and the unions to make the working class of Americans pay.
-Zbidman

PLA's are discriminatory union-only labor agreements that essentially exclude 85% of the construction workforce who choose not to pay union dues!! They are bad for workers and bad for taxpayers - the only one who wins is union labor bosses!

PLA's do nothing but fatten the wallets of the unions and the politicians who negotiate them. Non-Union workers who join the union for "PLA" projects never see the benefit of those dues. Who do you think gets the benefits? NOT THE WORKERS!!!

My, my... a bit of disagreement here. PLA's for publicly funded projects are appropriate and a fact of life. Those workers who wish to avoid unions but want to be paid like union members can't have it both ways.

 "The Employment Policy Foundation estimates that if all federally-funded government contracts were to include PLAs, the result would be either an increase in the cost of construction by $4.8 billion annually, or a reduction in the amount of federal construction spending by 30 percent (April 1997)." I don't think much has changed since 1997!

I have union and non union subs and there are good and bad subs either way. Union or not. We all have the same jobsite requirements, ie: apprenticeship standards, prevailing wages, safety , etc. We all have the same inspectors and architects and engineers. As far as local hire and those type requirements, the owner can dictate that in his Instructions for bidders. Look at the LAUSD where a PLA went south big time. This is America where we should be able to choose not be forced. Why in the hell would you limit competition by not allowing non union contractors. Just plain stupid!!!!

Competition is what keeps the non-union wages where they are, and union rates are like the gold standard. If the union's are busted up, then it will be time for the open shops to name their price for the laborer's hourly rate. There is great comfort in steady rates. Be careful what you wish for, because it won't be your skill that will land you the next job, it will be the low rate you are willing to take. You won't be sorry if the unions are gone, but the laborer's will be.

Villaraigosa and the L. A. City Council, the POLA's management and every other moron who allowed the PLA to come into fruition are ignorant fool's. Guess who keeps all the fringe benefit money (approx 30 % of the base pay after the 1.5 Billion/Five year term; The Trades Trust Fund!!!!! These nuckle heads can't even manage the City's Budget, yet they pass Labor policies that take money directly from pocket of the laborer performing all the work in the trenches. It's obvious, none of the aforementioned have been on the other side of a Pick and Shovel ! - R Salazar

Well I guess if we did leave it to the "non-union" contractors we would be working 60 plus hours a week .....at how much now...???? I think the abuses can go both ways.

What a joke! Some poor new union guy is going to think he will be able to find a job outside LA, once all the work is gone. Think about it, If other cities implement the same local hire stupid agreement, guess what, he/she cant work there! This takes money from the workers, runs the project costs way up, puts unfair and excessive warranty burden on subs, gives work to people who don't want to work and limits the exposure of people who have worked hard and been extensively trained in a particular field for the purpose of pride and monetary gain, only to have there efforts and money taken away. Another poorly thought out item by self back slapping idiots.

none of you have expressed yet why they do not help the small time contractor to gain more work such as like this project. There is simply too much red tape even huge requirements for the small contractor be a part of. Only the big time General contractors with plenty of money and pull are able to land some of this work. I do not feel that Unions do any good for any one. They only profit on every project they get their dirty hands in. I say stop driving the prices up and let everyone compete in an even playing field.

Fools, Fools, Fools!!!.....When are you going to stop bickering about unions who have pensions and 401k's, hell...... even killer benefits...Don't you all wish that you all have what the union workers have??...I have 10 more years to go and im on my way to the
retired life!!...All union workers are people looking for a better future after their working lives!!.....My friends are jealous because i have more than them....Hell, i worked for all i have!!.....Maybe you college butt-holes should jump into a ditch and make a 100% x-ray weld...

Why is it that every single pro-union comment always starts out with the same old bullcrap - "If we leave it up to the contractors, they will pay us slave wages and work us 10 hours a day with no OT"
Not that they would ever bother to check out a good merit shop, but open shop contractors who can bond and build public works projects have been paying prevailing (which equals union) wages since 1932!!! My company has a better medical plan than the unions, a vested pension plan and we also have apprenticeship training as well. As another reader accurately pointed out, only 15 % of the ENTIRE US workforce is unionized!! Unions became obsolete in California decades ago. For anyone who has never owned a business, they should learn something about how rigidly anti-employer the labor laws already are in this state. So don't give me any of that crap that unions are needed to "protect the workers rights" Whatever happened to the company owner's rights???

What these lying politicians and Union bosses never admit, is that they simply want more control of the marketplace and more dues to go into the UNION coffers - money that many of the union employees never see. How do you think the La Costa Luxury Resort in Carlsbad, CA complex got built? Teamster Pension money. How many retired Teamsters do think can afford to live there? Dave Beck sure could!

PLA's are the political payoffs to the campaign funds for all of the politicos who are bought and paid for by the building trades. It is as simple as that. All of the State building trades have a slush fund to pay hundreds of union goons to monitor every single public works contract that is being awarded to any non-union general contractor. They are so worried we won't pay the prevailing wage that they think that is how we win jobs. What bullshit!
PLA's are anti-open shop and openly discriminatory towards non-union contractors. They simply want to guarantee that every single public works contract will go to an all-union workforce.
The politicians down deep know this, but they have been bought and paid for, so they vote like little puppets. Don't try to whitewash this with any other description, tell it like it is - A MONOPOLY!

However, there is a little light at the end of the tunnel. Little by little, county by county we are winning more elections and anti-PLA battles, but we have a long ways to go.

An Open-Shop ABC Contractor

Call it PLA or whatever you want, but Union racketeering by any other name is still racketeering. The free market should be allowed to decide if Union labor delivers a better product for the inflated price. In my view it doesn't.