Letter To The Editor: PLAs Are Key To Good Development
Dear Editor,
Much ado has been made recently about Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), pre-hire collective bargaining agreements that establish the terms and conditions of employment on one or more construction projects. ("Of Hardhats and Biotech," WBJ, October 15, 2007).
PLAs have been used since WWI on billions of dollars worth of private and public construction projects across the nation, including Massachusetts. Some of the most respected institutions and businesses in Massachusetts, such as the College of the Holy Cross have implemented PLAs to control costs, prevent work disruptions, and guarantee a steady stream of skilled labor.
Recently, poorly tracked "research" has left construction users and the public confused about the benefits of PLAs. In the most robust research study of PLAs to date, researchers Dale Belman, of Michigan State University, Matthew Bodah of the University of Rhode Island and Peter Philips of the University of Utah, definitively dispel this confusion. The researchers examined 100 PLA projects using a variety of techniques.
The study found no evidence that PLAs decrease the number of bidders or change the costs of construction projects, two central criticisms raised by the nonunion construction sector.
PLAs, most importantly, secure access to the best-trained, highest-qualified craft workers in the area. With an unmatched financial investment of over $24 million annually in recruiting and training, the building trades unions and their contractors in Massachusetts are able to provide a readily available workforce of highly trained and skilled craftsmen to meet market demands.
PLAs are clearly beneficial to all involved: workers are properly trained and earn respectable wages and benefits; employers have immediate access to the skilled workforce it demands, and owners can take comfort in knowing that their projects will be completed.
Mary Vogel
Executive Director,
The Construction Institute, Boston
WBJ Web Partners
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