Union-only project labor agreements discriminate against
women and minority workers in the construction industry
who have traditionally been underrepresented in unions
and are employed largely by small, open-shop companies.
PLAs serve as another barrier for small businesses, including women- and miniority-owned companies,
which create the bulk of our nation's jobs and deserve
opportunities to perform work on public and private
projects.
"PLAs amount to de facto segregation …
African-American workers are significantly underrepresented
in all crafts of construction union shops … this
problem has been persistent during past decades and
there appears to be no type of improvement coming
… PLAs are anti-free-market, non-competitive,
and, most of all, discriminatory."
— National Black Chamber
of Commerce
"WCOE opposed federally mandated project labor
agreements … PLAs will disproportionately impact
small business, particularly those owned by women
and minorities."
— Women Construction Owners
& Executives, USA
"Bay Area Black Contractors Association have been
a strong advocate for merit shops in the Oakland/San
Francisco Bay Area and we are opposed to project labor
agreements."
— Bay Area Black Contractors
Association
"We believe union-only PLAs make it more difficult for
minority-owned contractors to compete … they
effectively work against the goals of increasing the
number of projects awarded to minority-owned businesses
by placing roadblocks in our way."
— Latin Builders Association,
Inc.
"[PLAs] are bad for business, especially small
businesses which constitute most of our membership.
They impose undue restrictions on our ability to compete,
increase the cost of doing business, reduce employee
benefits, and interfere with the free negotiation
process between employee and employer. They are patently
unfair to small businesses who do not have the resources
to comply with yet another government mandate."
— United States Pan-Asian-American
Chamber of Commerce
"The ultimate effect of the San Francisco Airport
PLA is clear … once a PLA was implemented, minority
business enterprise prime contract participation dropped
91.9 percent and subcontract participation dropped
34.4 percent. This PLA has been a disaster for minority-owned
businesses …"
— American Asian Contractors
Association
"[Union-only PLAs] are not good business for small business
in general, and particularly for women and minorities
in business … the impact on women and minorities
trying to compete in federal procurement would be
devastating."
— National Association of
Women Business Owners
