Comments on Public Works Solutions: Labor Accord Reached for Riverside Power Plant

A project labor agreement mandates that al workfor...

2008-09-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

A project labor agreement mandates that al workforce join the union and pay union dues. In the Riverside PLA it states "all workers performing covered work will become members in good standing on the 8th day of covered work". Therefore they must pay union dues and abide by the collective bargaining agreement. In the agreement they gree to forfeit all pension benefits if they do not stay in the union long enough to vest which is 5 years. Non union construction workers traditionally have 401.k plans which are immediatelty transportable. Further, they must work 350 hours in order to receive medical benefits. Which is not the case in open shop. They must go through union hiring halls in hopes they are placed back with their original employer (so much for local employment).

Jackie Nutting

You are right while on the project the workers ear...

2008-08-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

You are right while on the project the workers earn union wages and benefits.

In my opinion, it is a concise definition of what a PLA is. My main point is that most news paper articles describe PLA's as "union only". This implies that non union contractors can not bid, win and execute work on projects covered by a PLA. This is not true.

There are many components of PLAs that are not in that definition such as "no strike" clauses and apprenticeship and local hiring requirements. The wages and benefits structure is another component of the overall agreement that varies.

The article goes onto say that (paraphrasing) that...

2008-08-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

The article goes onto say that (paraphrasing) that employees of non-union companies participating on the project must join the appropriate union and pay dues and into the benefit program.

So your "best" description of a PLA is very misleading.