Thumbs Down on PLAs in PA

The Courier Times gives state Rep. John Galloway (D) a “thumbs down” for his water-carrying of union-benefiting, taxpayer-costing idea of Project Labor Agreements.  The editorial board’s “thumbs down” this week goes…

To state Rep. John Galloway and two resolutions he introduced encouraging the state to support so-called project labor agreements (PLA) on all publicly funded construction projects.

His argument that taxpayers will get more for their money if contractors are required to pay the “prevailing wage” to their workers is a lot of hot air. The cold truth is – Galloway’s spiel is a union-bolstered ruse.

The truth also is that PLAs knock small, local contractors out of the game. Small contractors can be more cost-efficient than big union contractors because they aren’t saddled with onerous union rules that drive up the costs of the jobs they do.

Galloway should serve the taxpayers who elected him and not the unions that want to eliminate the competition.