Government

Labor: Views Differ On PLA Proposal

Comments on a proposed rule that would encourage use of project labor agreements on large federal construction projects included passionate pleas from unions in favor of the proposal and from open-shop interests against it. The proposal would implement a Feb. 6 executive order.

The laborers’ union says PLAs help deliver projects on time and on budget and guarantee uninterrupted access to skilled labor. Strong opposition came from 906 comments filed by Associated Builders and Contractors and its member companies. ABC has released a study claiming no labor disruptions or major delays occurred on non-PLA federal projects begun in the Bush administration. The Associated General Contractors says there is no evidence that PLA mandates consistently cut project costs or boosted quality.

Bruce Buckley is a freelance writer and photographer based in the Washington, D.C., area.

As ENR's former Washington Bureau Chief, Tom Ichniowski wrote about the federal government since the George H.W. Bush administration, and covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

Post a comment to this article

Live: June 11, 2026 at 1:00 pm CDT Fleet operations generate a massive amount of data. The real challenge is breaking down silos to turn complex metrics into a clear roadmap for smarter, faster decision making. In this webinar, we move past basic tracking to show you how the right data identifies hidden vulnerabilities and stops wasteful spending.