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PLA Decision Overturned

July 16, 2002

The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, is considering a U.S. Supreme Court appeal to overturn Fridays court affirmation of President Bushs executive order banning project labor agreements from federally funded construction projects.

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court reversed a U.S. District Court judge who said Bushs February 2001 order illegally violated the National Labor Relations Act and "removed an economic weapon from labor organizations, federal agencies and the recipients of federal funding."

A statement by the BCTD said the appeals court decision grants the President permission to promote his own anti-labor agenda by overriding state and local decisions on construction projects. It minimizes the rights of hundreds of thousands of construction workers by giving the President license to disregard labor laws on federally financed projects, the BCTD said.

The PLA is a collective bargaining agreement that establishes common work rules for an entire construction project, commonly used in both the public and private sectors to coordinate operations of the many construction contractors and to assure that the project proceeds smoothly and without delays. Under the executive order, any state or local agency that would otherwise use a project labor agreement must give up that right to receive any amount of federal financial support for its project.

Federal Judge Overturns Bush PLA Ban - December  5, 2001.

Construction Unions Ask Courts To Throw Out Bush Order Banning Project Labor Agreements - 4/27/01

Judge Rules For Labor - April 14, 2001.

Bush Alters PLA Order - April 13, 2001.