Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Floor Speech

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Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the Guinta Amendment (#166), which prohibits the government from entering into any contract that requires a project labor agreement (PLA). I oppose the amendment because prohibiting the use of PLA's cannot assure savings to the taxpayers.

Project labor agreements, also known as Community Workforce Agreements are not new and contain several benefits: PLA's normally include a local hire component; PLA's establish and set a fair wage; PLA's avoid labor disputes and construction delays; under PLA's, workers are trained to perform required work safely and correctly.

Mister Chair, a project labor agreement establishes the terms, conditions, and safety standards for workers on construction projects. One of the major advantages of a PLA is that because it is an agreement negotiated prior to construction, there is minimal, if any, disruption in the construction schedule arising from contract disputes. This saves taxpayers money and at the same time providing jobs offering steady employment at livable wages to local communities where the need is greatest.

PLA's establish rigorous safety standards that save time and save lives. There is absolutely no evidence that PLA's increase the cost of construction projects; instead properly trained workers improve product quality which saves taxpayers money.

Finally, Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against the Guinta amendment.

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