Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, the amendment before us would correct a fundamental misunderstanding that has been allowed to slip into H.R. 5854, the FY 2013 Military Construction/VA Appropriations bill. The Grimm Amendment would not have the effect of mandating that public contracting entities adopt Project Labor Agreements, as its opponents claim. In fact, as has been amply pointed out by my colleagues, Section 517 of the bill would prevent the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and related agencies from requiring the use of project labor agreements (PLA). Similar efforts to bar PLAs have been tried in other venues, including a recent attempt in Michigan which was declared unconstitutional by a U.S. District Judge. The court correctly ruled that federal law explicitly allows for PLAs in the construction industry, when the government entity determines that it is in the best interest--in terms of efficiency, quality, safety or any number of other factors--of the local community. But it isn't only constitutional; it is also smart. There is ample evidence demonstrating that PLAs can serve as an important tool to manage large construction projects and maximize efficiency by creating collective bargaining benefitting both contractors and workers. Washington Nationals Park, Disney World, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline all benefited from the use of PLAs.…”